Farm Beat: McCormick & Co. offers to spice up healthy fare

McCormick & Co. has advice for people not thrilled with low-fat, low-salt diets: Sprinkle on the cumin, the curry or whatever it takes to liven them up.

The company, whose holdings include part-ownership of SupHerb Farms in Turlock, told federal officials this week that its products can make healthy dishes taste better.

“Spices and herbs are an important tool in helping Americans meet the committee’s dietary recommendations,” said Guy Johnson, executive director of the McCormick Science Institute. He was speaking to experts working on an update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dietary standards.

Johnson cited several studies that back up the idea:

▪ At Johns Hopkins University, adults instructed to use more herbs and spices cut almost 1,000 milligrams of sodium from their daily diets. The recommended level is 2,300 mg.

▪ Children in a Pennsylvania State University study were offered a reduced-fat dip flavored with herbs and spices, and many found it just fine for dipping vegetables.

▪ Reduced-fat meals with added herbs and spices rated high among people taking part in a study at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.

“Taste is the primary driver of food decisions, and recent data suggest spices and herbs cannot only increase the acceptability of low-sodium foods, but also those low in saturated fat and calories,” Johnson said.

McCormick, founded in Baltimore in 1889, sells a wide range of products under that name. It also owns other brands that span the world of flavor, such as Old Bay seasoning for crabcakes, Zatarain’s for Cajun dishes, El Guapo for Mexican, Simply Asia and Thai Kitchen.

SupHerb Farms, founded in 1992, makes “fresh frozen” herbs for chefs and food manufacturers at a plant just west of Highway 99. The herbs come from farms in the region.

Another company, Ratto Bros., grows many kinds of herbs amid its fresh vegetables west of Modesto. Neither it nor SupHerb has herb acreage that compares with our fruits, nuts, tomatoes and feed crops, but the variety is impressive.

The Stanislaus County Farm Bureau will hold its 101st annual meeting April 16 at the SOS Club, 819 Sunset Ave., Modesto.

The guest speaker will be state Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Riverbank, who is the Republican leader in that chamber.

The event will start with a social hour and no-host bar at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7. The $40 tickets can be purchased by April 10 at (209) 522-7278.

The film, “Food Chains,” describes the lives of farmworkers in general and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ activism on behalf of Florida tomato pickers in particular.

It is one of 20 screenings around the nation sponsored by Bon Appétit, a university food-service provider and supporter of the tomato workers’ cause.

The UOP showing will be in the Janet Leigh Theater. It will start at 6:30 p.m. with food made from produce from the PUENTES/Boggs Tract Community Farm in Stockton. The film will start at 7 p.m., followed by a panel discussion.

This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Farm Beat: McCormick & Co. offers to spice up healthy fare."