What is the real meaning of an egg? You would say it is food laid by hens and it gives nutrients. Very simple you think? Panera Bread doesn’t share this plain opinion as it has requested for the government to give a thorough and exact definition of eggs.
This new request was publicised after the restaurant rolled out its latest brand of sandwiches to serve as a breakfast meal. They introduced the sandwiches to the market and claimed that they contain 100% undiluted egg. Now Panera Bread has sent entreaty to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S, pleading for them to provide a standard meaning of an egg.
Although Panera’s action may be seen as a smart strategy to promote the new bread brand, however, there are traces of reasonable advantage in the step, because many sandwich makers and bakeries usually include some additional elements into the eggs they mix in their sandwiches but people who buy the snacks are not aware of what they are consuming.
The director in charge of Panera’s wellness and food regulation department, Sara Burnett, asserted in an official statement that it’s common for many bakers to use processed egg made from unknown artificial ingredients but they will sell the snacks like real egg sandwiches. Panera prides itself in using fresh undiluted egg squeezed out straight from the shells, and their bread has no artificial ingredients.
Other well-established food vendors sell breakfast sandwiches made with egg, yet these restaurants include more constituents like balance and replenishment products that are not recognizable. Information obtained from Starbucks, the organization responsible for releasing up-to-date facts about nutritional issues, stated that most of their early morning sandwiches contain egg, bacon, and gouda which has a frittata patty of eggs where soybean oil, water, xanthan gum, citric acid, a concentrated starch made from corn and grind cellulose are found.
According to research, Burger King restaurant printed on their menu for breakfast that the eggs they produce contain a fusion of liquified condensed ingredients and the eggs are undiluted. Inside the eggs are medium triglycerides, water, citric acid, xanthan gum and other constituents.
We can also shine the beam on McDonald’s restaurant, which has always tried to dissociate themselves from other food vendors. They boasted of using only eggs that are newly cracked on their Egg McMuffin. Nonetheless, this doesn’t change the fact that most restaurant chains are not entirely free from this accusation.
A logical question being asked by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom, an editor on health and nutrition, is if eggs diluted with extra constituents should be considered as real undiluted eggs, even if the additives are very nutritious?
Trying to provide answers to the question, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in the U.S released a statement. The organization described egg blend as eggs which were extracted from the uncracked shells and used for remodification such as whites, yolks, concentrated eggs and several mixtures, it doesn’t matter whether this process included other innards not related to eggs or not. They also explained that real eggs don’t have egg yolks. Authoritatively, it can be said that egg can still be considered as eggs, in as much as real eggs are part of the mixture. Nevertheless, it’s not 100% certain that these non-egg additives are safe for consumption.
Dr. Madelyn feels they are not harmful to consumers. She declared when she studied all the extra ingredients that Burger King and Starbucks included in their breakfast sandwiches. She was quick to chip in that the only acceptable standard for maximum nutritional value is a whole egg.
Getting good meals that are as safe and untouched as the ones you prepare for yourself is the best way to be safe, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutrition expert and author of dietary books. She encouraged people also to do research on the internet and search for nutritional facts and tips, to enlighten themselves as well so they can know the best means of getting healthy and safe breakfasts.
Frances Largeman-Roth, another nutritional professional, talked about these preservatives. She explained that the best way to solve this puzzle is to have clarity in your meals.
Some particular preservatives such as sulfites and MSG can result in harmful side-effects in the bodies of people, says Frances. She noted that the root cause of all this early morning sandwiches lies in the eateries that produce them. Sometimes, too many ingredients for a breakfast sandwich can be unsafe for the stomach.
