Vish, our social networking and media wizard brought with him today, knowledge of something which frankly horrified me, but at the same time, made my mouth water a little bit. Now, as I’m still not sure how I feel about this yet, there’s going to be no big introduction, no parable about how this came in to my life during a journey of self discovery; just a simple introduction to yet another food craze I’m going to have a little rant about (albeit balanced).

It would appear a man in Utah raised funds in the region of $149million by selling shares in his ‘Loan Fund’, but is now being sued for misappropriation, due to his splurge on a millionaires lifestyle, a film about Scouting and, here it comes (drum roll please) development of a product called the Candwich. Naughty naughty!

If you haven’t seen the picture, yes, it is a sandwich in a can which (apparently) comes in some delicious and nutritious flavours (yeah right)! This would usually be the time I’d start ranting and raving asking how can companies do this? Knowing full well there is a global obesity epidemic, diabetes is seeing its highest level of popularity since well, ever; and is basically a slap in the face to the health movement and initiatives that want to get people cooking, eating and living healthier.

The problem is you see; food production in the US is heavily subsidised by the Government, giving extra money to farmers to guarantee a floor price that is acceptable to everyone in the supply chain. Many of the staple foods include rice, wheat, soybeans etc. The most heavily subsidised agricultural commodity is corn, which over the years has been developed into corn syrup and has replaced more natural sweeteners. This has had a knock on effect in two ways: one, cheap food has created unhealthy incentives to eat until you feel like you’re going to explode (although at xmas this is totally acceptable) and two, foods laidened with a high sugar content (from the cheap corn syrup) has made them far cheaper than their natural, healthier and organic competitors.

So bearing in mind the industry I work in, am I being hypocritical, disagreeing with someone who has seen a commercial opportunity, capitalising on supposed need for a convenience food, using the most cost effective components? Well no actually, I’m not! The reason why things that are bad for you taste so good is because the fat in them, helps flavour stick to your tongue and pallet. Think about the last time you ate a carrot stick and a milkshake on their own... which one tasted better for longer? I bet it was the milkshake.

Last week I sat down with a client who fully understands the mechanics of flavour and gave me a few pointers on how to make the perfect Club Sandwich. When the sandwiches came over I understood exactly what he meant and best of all, there was no filth guilt looming on the horizon. Believe it or not, there are ways you can get a depth of flavour in food without lacing it with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, lard and/or a mountain of salt. Makers of the Candwich take note! There are ways of making a sandwich that won’t cause cavities!