All the better reason to make your own bread. It takes a little time, but you know exactly what went in to it.

Food for thought~ thank you for the info, made me go hmmmm.

the only way you can make green choices is to make things yourself. Green is the new $$$$$$. Also gives electrical and gas companies an excuse to raise prices. No bueno!

I think white will return once the economy improves (really improves for real, not just in the news). Brown is just easier to clean. When there's less money for laundry, it's just easier to wear a brown blouse/pants/etc. a lot longer. I've noticed that oatmeal colored yarn is popular...probably for the same reason. Don't have to worry about dust, spots showing up.

I've heard the same about eggs. Somehow, people think brown eggs and speckled eggs are more organic than white eggs. Really, it has to do with the breed of chicken, not what it's been fed or if it is free range or not.

Love this post!

Very interesting!

I think it is funny how readily we all KNOW the tricks consumers fall for, yet we still fall for them ourselves anyway. I do it.

Interesting. I had been told, working at one of the big coffee chains, that our napkins and the coffee filters that were used to brew the coffee were that oatmeal color because they were not bleached. At the time, chlorine was the enemy-of-the-month because it is an endocrine disruptor. It was said that in the bleached coffee filters, chlorine could leach into the coffee you were brewing. Brown coloring was certainly never mentioned. And now I wonder....

It's easy to say we're going to be a more conscious consumers, but really? It does get confusing out there..

I tend to gravitate to "brown" versus white. my guilty pleasure is a grilled cheese on white bread though. Research, research, research! Since I started my shop - I've looked into true recyclable materials and you'd be surprised to find that plain (used) office paper is more recyclable than its colored cousins. depending on how the colored cardstock or paper is made - and depending on what kind of dyes go into coloring the paper - truly determines whether it is truly recyclable.

Super interesting ... hmmmmmm

I wish company's did not have to be so deceptive. It would make my job as a buyer a lot easier!

MyVintageCrush said exactly what I was thinking. For a year now I have been buying what I thought was the best bread(health wise) at the grocery store, only to find it had soy in it(something we avoid). I looked at every type of bread in the store and there were NONE that did not contain either soy or HFCS. I came to the conclusion that it really is time to start making our own bread, and that even though I was reading labels, I wasn't paying attention. Well, I am paying attention now! :D

wonder how widespread the bread recolouring is?! :(

They ADD brown to the diapers? Honesty and purity are not enough, we are still slaves to what we really want. I am gob-smacked!

Wonderful post - thank you for sharing.

Thats disturbing.

I would imagine people are reading labels more and more now. But one thing I am truly glad for is a great Russian store in the area. Not only do they sell a really good type of bread (if try to press it down, will not stay there squished as a wonder bread would) but it only has few basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast. A great alternative might be making own bread, but from experience I've noticed it is a lot more messier and MUCH more time consuming (although the results are delicious!)

Food for thought...hmmm...very interesting .

It would be so nice if these companies would just eliminate the unnecessary steps like bleaching or dying just to get a trendy appearance. Extra work, extra expense just makes it cost more & be less good for all of us. Great post!

Interesting. But I think the important point in your story, is you found the truth when you got the inside scoop. The more you know about the people you buy from the more you can know about the quality of the products they give you. Shows the importance of shopping local and small business. It's easier to hide secrets when there are more chains to go through. Transparency in selling and buying is key.

Greaat article. I decided long ago not to trust any resturant, food chain or a bakery. I make my won meals, breads, cheese, yogurt and everything in between. I support small farms..been cheated way too many times :) never felt better in mylife..

Fabulous article. I'll be thinking about this all week while I go about my shopping!

It's crazy how much propaganda comes from large corporations! Best to buy local, buy handmade, and know your source. ^__^

I think the first step is too consume less (if you're using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins there's less you need to know). An then on top of that READ the packaging. Recycled products say so.

Ah, bread coloring is so pathetic... Brown paper products are brown because they are simply unbleached (wood pulp, in its natural state is brown or beige) and not because the're intentionally colored brown.

Booo!

Thats really quite shocking about the bread, I always choose wheat brown bread because of the better nutritional value it provides - surely thats deception!

Great article. Such an important point about how color relays messages whether those messages are true or false. As many people have mentioned, buying local, supporting small business and reading/connecting/researching will help you make greener decisions. Another resource would be your local green business directory. The City of San Francisco has a Green Business program which has a lengthy application/review/onsite inspection process (I know from experience) to make sure "green" businesses are actually green. It is a great resource for finding businesses that actually practice what they preach.

It's always so upsetting to hear that companies deceive their consumers in order to make a little bit more money.

I can totally relate to this article. Who knew that companies actually produce "faux wheat bread" by just adding food coloring, what trickery. As for businesses using brown napkins, those that are environmentally friendly usually have messages on the napkins indicating how much recycled material is used to create the napkins. I figure most places will not hesitate to advertise their eco-friendly napkins since it's good for business.

Wow, very interesting...

Seventh Generation? Geez... *goes back to making her own cleaning products*

Same is often true about brown sugar, leading brand here sells their "healthy" sugar with ingredients: white sugar, caramel coloring, molasses... hmmmmmmmm

This is really sad. Words like Recycled, Green, Eco-friendly, Earth Friendly, Organic etc. have become so popular and also kind of luring these days, as a buyer/ consumer I feel great when I buy one of those. It gives a 'feel good' both mentally and physically. Deception like this is heartbreaking!

Thank you for this great article! Something to think about..

I started making my own whole wheat bread to save money and now, if I run out and have to resort to grocery store-bought, I don't even enjoy the seed-filled harvest breads I used to like.The flavour is just so lacking compared to straight-from-the-oven. And on the flip side of colour being a huge hang-up for so many people, my Mom can't make the switch to brown anything (rice, pasta, bread, etc.) because of this leftover idea that the white version of these foods is somehow cleaner.

I went to the big chain grocery the other night because it was late and we needed dinner so I got a ready cooked rotisserie chicken and a bag full of a bunch of other junk, (this is why I shop at Trader Joe's, i always end up with more produce and whole wheat than cereal and ice cream) and as I was pulling into my driveway I thought, how horribly easy was that?? I just hopped in my big ol' car, fill my cart with a bunch of crap and returned home within 20 minutes. It was much too accessible to me. This is one of the reasons that every time I bake, I do it from scratch. Not only does food taste better, and you know exactly what went into it but you have an appreciation for where it came from and a connection to what you are eating. It takes more time but it's time well spent I think.

Very interesting! We make our own bread. ~KK~

Sneaky, sneaky! It pays to be present in the moment so you can pick up on things like that. Interesting.

In the past year or so I've noticed that many of the already "green" companies have been changing their looks to attract newbies since green became in fashion. These designs have changed from simple and to the point, into flashier, more attractive designs. This makes me question their new, perhaps not so green impact on the environment due to added color and printing on the packaging. Does anyone know about packaging impacts?

VoleedeMoineaux says: Green is the new $$$$$$ So true!

Interesting article!

So true. I always at least try to take a second and read ingredients before assuming anything. I am a sucker for good packaging I totally admit it!

Great article. It is a shame that companies manipulate us in so many ways.

I can't even think about all the ways I'm sure we are deceived as consumers, it's really sad!

It's getting harder and harder to keep informed about what exactly is in the stuff we buy, and what processes are used in manufacturing. I, too, remember being dismayed at finding out about food coloring in commercial 'whole-wheat' bread many years ago. Now I'm dismayed to hear that recycled paper products (including toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins) contain toxic bisphenol A (BPA) from all the thermal-printed receipts that are recycled with regular paper.

Thanks for sharing.. had no idea!

this is so sad especially when people are trying to make more enviromentally better choices only to still be tricked~ this seems like something they used to do back in the day of sublimiual messages in our movies :( not in these times

You can tell when you actually read the labels since they can't falsely claim the recycled content without a hefty fine or other trouble. Wheat bread is often just white bread colored brown, but whole wheat bread is exactly that. They may have still colored it brown, but it contains 100% whole wheat as the main ingredient when it says so. The same goes with the brown napkins and coffee filters. Coloring it brown is probably what happened if they were just made form recycled, but if they were new paper, unbleached, it would likely be darker. They still color all papers to give them a uniform color anyway. As for green washing, it upsets me that Marcal was always 100% recycled paper products, but once that was the "in" thing, they raised their prices and called their products Marcal Smart Steps. Disappointing that a company that did the right thing first still managed to sell out.

Great article, thanks!

great article. its true that they add dyes to alot of things to make them appear more eco friendly products. the Seventh Generation Diapers just kill me, but I have known that for a while now.

As anyone who makes papier mache will know, recycled office paper isn't brown, it's a kind of dirty white. Companies that market recycled paper products that are brown usually dye them to disguise the flecks of brightly coloured paper they've added into the mix, which is cheaper than using all white office paper... & depending on the type of dye they use, that's not necessarily the "greenest" option. Far from jumoing on the healthy eating bandwagon, wheatmeal bread has been around for at least 30 years to my knowledge & has never pretended to be anything other than what it is, white bread with with an additive containing colour & flavour. If you want "real" bread but can't be bothered with the hassle of making it yourself, go to a "real" bakery. If the things are made on the premises then the staff should know exactly what the ingredients are for each & every product. Don't be afraid to ask questions, they should be proud of their product & will probably tell you way more than you actually want to know... I worked in our local bakery for 11 years & it was always nice when someone showed an intelligent interest.

My father in law was talking to me about sweet corn and a guy he knows grows sweet corn and sells it to grocery stores and it is hard to find workers because the consumers like it to be neat. Meaning they have to cut every cob the same length and have them neatly positioned on the tray or they don't look good and wont sell... I think that is horrible that he has to do all that extra work just to make it look good. (sorry a little off topic but it just got me thinking about how we buy things.)

more and more reminders of why we as a community should attempt to purchase from producers we know and trust. marketing is such a cripplingly powerful field... as Etsy sellers we are able to take the time and care to investigate our materials, but most people are not aware or informed enough to care. its our job as crafters/artist to share what is truly sustainable. >>> in the design field a primary motto to always fall back on is FORM + FUNCTION, its a well known concept that allows the designer to reveal an honesty of materiality, which translates into the design work itself. maybe this concept can be applied to food production? but that would be asking a multinational corporation (who has the rights of an individual) to behave rationally and with respect to the context of its own existence. im doubtful this could occur. >>> id like one neighbor to bake bread that i can trade for with my eggs i gathered from my mini-farm. sounds much more fun and lovely. :)

Great post!

I chose brown for my shop. I like the simplicity it conveys. I feel it doesn't compete with my jewelry.

It needs to find the source of that product to determine if it is really green.

Because of my celiac I have to read labels all the time. Those of you who don't read labels should really start. You would not BELIEVE some of the things they put in food. And if you research where ingredients (such as added vitamins, natural flavors, etc.) come from... Well, I just really don't know where my food comes from if I buy those things. Organic and grass-fed is mostly what I eat. I have to make my flour myself because of issues with cross contamination (the 20 parts per million or whatever it is the FDA allows is too much for me to handle)... Everything has to be from scratch because of what they put in the food. It's really ridiculous.

Good points. I noticed McDonald's has an ad about mini chicken nuggets in a green package. What's healthy or green about that?

Good article! I have a hard time resisting packaging that "speaks" to me. I'm a sucker for foods marked "All Natural," but I have to remind myself that "All Natural" doesn't equal "Healthy." That label can also be applied to ingredients that are processed certain ways.

Wow, now that is a wake up call! Sadly, I am not surprised.

One time I made guacamole with an orange pepper- and got orange guacamole! I was so disappointed with my orange mush that I added some green food dye. Looked great, fresh, and a healthy GREEN! No one would have guessed (but I did tell). BUT, saying bread is whole wheat when it's not is a totally different story. If you do some research into marketing strategies, you'd be surprised at what you'll find. Every tiny detail is controlled- and provides results.

I've noticed this trend, too...especially with soaps and shampoos. The packaging is geared towards "organic" with their wholesome choice in fonts and design while using words like "botanicals" but still contains very harmful ingredients including "parfum". Advertising without a conscience. I wonder, wouldn't it actually be cheaper to leave grains intact instead of stripping them from their nutrition by overly processing them and then dying them with brown food coloring? On a side note, my fiance used to think Chinese food was made with brown rice because of it's color not realizing it was white rice stained with soy sauce!

Unfortunately, buzzwords such "vegan", "eco friendly", "green" , "sustainable" , to name a few, are the Pavlovian treat that makes the consumer salivate to make that impulse purchase. It's all psychology. Market research firms study demographics, to determine what it is that make people buy what they buy and corporations pay big bucks for that info. I can't stand the doublespeak myself. It would just be nice if companies (and people) would be up front about everything but that's too easy.

I had never thought about this and I am sure I've been misled a time or two. Thanks now I can be more aware.

I would be crushed if I heard my fav place used food coloring for its "wheat" bread, too. After reading your article, I realize many places I visit have the brown napkins and bags, all the while promoting reusing and recycling. This is definitely something to think about.

Interesting it's all about perception!

Great article. Congratulations.

This is incredibly interesting! It made me think of Wal-mart....they recently switched their colors from blue and white to brown and yellow.....hmmmm.

Another important reminder to take the time to read labels and support our local co-ops and farmers markets. I am a sucker for packing too - but I force myself to read labels and research companies. Very interesting article.

I'm glad we have such thought provoking blogs on Etsy, that help us navigate the ever changing and constantly MORE confusing world of life choices. I too am amazed at how marketing has played on our sense of right and wrong, health, and environmental conscience. Thanks for this enlightening post

Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous.

Our naive is an easy target for the shysters!

I always read the labels when it comes to bread, so much "brown bread" has unbleached enriched flour instead of whole wheat flour. My partner makes bread and pizza dough (just not daily), it can be difficult to get enough rise in whole wheat breads because whole wheat has less gluten (so more fibre but less protein) So he adds 1 1/2 tbsp of gluten flour to help the rise - an egg will help too. The protein in the egg or the gluten flour is needed. My mother won't eat brown rice or whole wheat pasta, I'm so used to them now that I prefer their nutty flavour and white pasta tastes weird. I wish more restaurants had brown rice as an option, those that do charge twice as much for it and usually give you less rice than if you ordered white rice.

This certainly explains why the Etsy front page so heavily favors neutral colors, especially browns and beiges. Apparently it's only misleading when other companies do it?

That gives me a lot to think about throughout this week. A lot of companies also use "buzz words" to create a feeling of trust and loyalty with their customers.

My mom makes amazing homemade bread!!! And the brown thing doesn't surprise me, being "green" (which I guess now means brown) is trendy these days, so companies will push the recycled appearance as far as they safely can without compromising their image. I have been trying to consume less, but it is hard with advertisements and pretty packages. If you don't buy this or that sometimes you are made to feel that you are just being an extremist or your quality of life is lower than a person's who buy "nice" things.

Interesting post!

It goes the other way around too.. You can buy white toilet paper that is actually bleached environmentally friendly (though I'm not sure how). Maybe I should go bake my own bread.. I did this for a few weeks in spain and I loved the work that went into it.. The kneading and checking on how it works in the oven :)

good point...u never really know

This really struck a cord with me, thank you! What a shame that so much money is spent on an illusion. I wonder if it's any more expensive for these companies to do the right thing and make a product that is what they claim it is.

It seems so sinister and deceptive. What ever happened to the good ol' days when brown bread was actually brown bread?

I really enjoy ALL your posts!

That sucks. Why can't they just do the right thing. Geesh!

Thanks for the thoughts!!! Interesting.....

I find that it is increasingly necessary to recite a mantra to myself about perception, that "things are never as they seem". Thank you for the thoughtful article and bringing this multi-level systemic problem to the table for discussion.

Very interesting. Thanks for this post!

I knew about the dyes in bread and like someone else mentioned, my daughter needs to stay away from soy so I started making my own bread. Better for you, tastes a lot better, and makes your entire house smell good!

i remember a sandwich chain in chicago that did the same thing. although their delivery was always some cute guy riding an eco-friendly bike, so i didnt mind

Thank you for this post! I was hit with a similar realization when I bought the "Whole Wheat Bread" my grocery store made in the deli only to get home and see enriched bleached flour and caramel color in the ingredients. Ever since I have been making my own sour dough bread with a wild yeast culture I keep active on my counter. Always, always read ingredients thoroughly!

Here's a great time saver that all of us could use. Buy a bread machine. Program the timer to your "wake up" time. The night before I take fresh raspberries/strawberries and mix with cream cheese. Mmmm, there is nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread creeping down the hallway to drag me out of bed.

I think it is very hard to decide now what is earth friendly. There are so many products out there that claim to be, but are not really. Plus, there are those items who think they are but just transfer the cost. Like electric cars, where the gas isn't being burnt in the car, but the things burnt to make you electricity then to transfer it to the car via wires. I'm still not sold on which is better for the planet. And then there are the products out there that are just naturally good for the earth, and always have been, but people don't see them because they are too busy buying what they told was good. Such as wearing what you have in your closet vs going and buying a new top. That being said, if we were to all do things based on what was good for the earth, I bet at least half of etsy sellers would be out of business, myself included, and I try to recycle and upcycle.

Thanks for sharing this important information. I think that when it comes to eco friendly brands and products it is just important to take an extra moment to read the fine print and do some background research. It is true that being eco-friendly is a new trend and so many companies out there are green-washing their brand and products. Make things yourself or double check what you're getting! Now I really want to start baking my own bread! mmmm..

I can't believe that a sandwich shop can get away with this! It makes you wonder what else they're up to...

was devistated to read about Seventh Generation adding the dyes to their diapers. I thought they were among the few that were still genuinely "green." as consumers (and sellers) we really do have a huge responsability to make informed purchases, not support the con artist companies, and (as sellers) provide honest information to our customers.

very good points. people want to do what is right, and be "in" and part of that, now, is being "green." But they really don't know what it entails. My pet peeve is people who call their stuff "recycled," when it is repurposed - in other words, NOT post-consumer materials made into something else...rather, a brand new product that they bought, and then used to make something else. That is not "green" at all!

yes, thanks for sharing this. This is similar to the "organic" misconception. Sellers tag their items "organic," and they do not mean the item has been grown or prepared without pesticides, chemicals, fertilizers (which is what it means when one labels food organic.) They are saying it is of natural origin, but it is very misleading. Thanks for posting this, i will share it!

This is why local and indie is so important. We can't trust these large corporations, who are disconnected from our communities and personal lives to give us healthy options. They're bottom-line is profits, and when they see a trend, they will exploit it as much as possible. Whereas the local soapmaker/farmer/seamstress/etc. sees us all the time. We develop real relationships with real people. We hold each other accountable. Transparency is also important. You can't get that with Seventh Generation (unless you dig real deep). But you can with the local farmer. Ask about their process, where their supplies come from, how they treat labor, etc. It's seems impossible, but a lot of the products and services we use can be found locally. If not, it can be created! Investing in our local economy only strengthens it while "creating jobs", who could argue with that :)

I can't believe it that they would go that far to color their product with brown dye to make it look more "each friendly" RIDICULOUS. Shame on them! You really need to do your research on stuff before you buy anything these days. There is so much false information out there that it hard to even know what is real and not. I say, trust your instinct, and shop local:) Thanks for sharing very informative!