Hi Group,

My wife received a small bottle of imported
vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
the safety of using this.

It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
previous label under the label for the vanilla.

The label is badly cut & crooked, with plain laser printed text. It says, in
big letters: PURE VANILLA. Under that, is says: Use for Cakes, Drinks,
Pudding, Ice Cream, Etc.

Below that, it says: Made & Bottled in Grenada.

To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
time.

No company name, or address of any kind on this bottle. I do not know from
what kind of
vendor the purchaser obtained it. I can send a picture of the bottle to
anyone who is interested in seeing it.

I am concerned about the possibility of Coumarin in the vanilla. Does anyone
have any
suggestions as to how I might determine if this
vanilla is safe to use?

Thanks very much!

--
Tank

This Space To Let

>Does anyone
>have any
>suggestions as to how I might determine if this
>vanilla is safe to use?
>

If you use it and get sick or even die .. it wasn't safe.
I'm amazed that you even ask ... there is no way I would ever use such a
product.
~Kat


"I think I would like to call myself 'the girl who wanted to be God'. Yet if I
were not in this body, where would I be--perhaps I am destined to be classified
and qualified. But, oh, I cry out aginst it." --Sylvia Plath

Tank wrote:
> Hi Group,
>
> My wife received a small bottle of imported
> vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
> taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
> the safety of using this.
>
> It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
> it has been reused.
(snip)

Vanilla isn't that expensive; buy a bottle from Penzey's and toss away they
mystery extract!

Jill
P.S. Any reason your wife's boss might want to kill her?

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...

> Vanilla isn't that expensive;

Checked the price of vanilla lately? You might be appalled.

Hal Laurent
Baltimore

"Hal Laurent" > wrote in message
news
>
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> > Vanilla isn't that expensive;
>
> Checked the price of vanilla lately? You might be appalled.
>
Compared to medical care or funeral expenses, vanilla--even at current
prices--is a bargain... ;-)

"Tank" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Group,
>
> My wife received a small bottle of imported
> vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
> taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
> the safety of using this.
>
> It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
> it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
> previous label under the label for the vanilla.
>
> The label is badly cut & crooked, with plain laser printed text. It says,
in
> big letters: PURE VANILLA. Under that, is says: Use for Cakes, Drinks,
> Pudding, Ice Cream, Etc.
>
> Below that, it says: Made & Bottled in Grenada.
>
> To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
> metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
> on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
> time.
>
> No company name, or address of any kind on this bottle. I do not know
from
> what kind of
> vendor the purchaser obtained it. I can send a picture of the bottle to
> anyone who is interested in seeing it.
>
> I am concerned about the possibility of Coumarin in the vanilla. Does
anyone
> have any
> suggestions as to how I might determine if this
> vanilla is safe to use?
>
> Thanks very much!
>
> --

Pitch it and buy some from a reputable source.

Jack Mysteriosograndelegantecoli

My god, just throw it away! You're going to take a chance on some mystery
bottle that's obviously been re-used and for all you know could have
contained mercury in it at some time. Why bother? Chuck it, and move on.

Davlo wrote:

> My god, just throw it away! You're going to take a chance on some mystery
> bottle that's obviously been re-used and for all you know could have
> contained mercury in it at some time. Why bother? Chuck it, and move on.
>
>
ah... yup yup.... what Davlo said.

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Tank wrote:

> Hi Group,
>
> My wife received a small bottle of imported
> vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
> taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
> the safety of using this.
>
> It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
> it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
> previous label under the label for the vanilla.
>
> The label is badly cut & crooked, with plain laser printed text. It says, in
> big letters: PURE VANILLA. Under that, is says: Use for Cakes, Drinks,
> Pudding, Ice Cream, Etc.
>
> Below that, it says: Made & Bottled in Grenada.
>
> To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
> metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
> on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
> time.
>
> No company name, or address of any kind on this bottle. I do not know from
> what kind of
> vendor the purchaser obtained it. I can send a picture of the bottle to
> anyone who is interested in seeing it.
>
> I am concerned about the possibility of Coumarin in the vanilla. Does anyone
> have any
> suggestions as to how I might determine if this
> vanilla is safe to use?

If I give you my address will you mail it to me. My neighbours went on a cruise
a few years ago and brought me a bottle of vanilla from Grenada that sounds just
like the one you described. It was incredible. I have been searching ever since
for something even close to that. A friend who is a chef brought me some from
Dominican Republic that was a close second. It seems that bottling vanilla in
cheap plastic containers and using cheap labels is quite common in the
Caribbean.

What can go bad in it? It is mostly alcohol.

>>Does anyone
>>have any
>>suggestions as to how I might determine if this
>>vanilla is safe to use?
======================
If the label has "no coumarin" on it it is safe to use. And it's delicious.
My friends and neighbors and I have used it for years.
nancree

Dave Smith wrote:
> Tank wrote:
>
>
>>Hi Group,
>>
>>My wife received a small bottle of imported
>>vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
>>taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
>>the safety of using this.
>>
>>It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
>>it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
>>previous label under the label for the vanilla.
>>
>>The label is badly cut & crooked, with plain laser printed text. It says, in
>>big letters: PURE VANILLA. Under that, is says: Use for Cakes, Drinks,
>>Pudding, Ice Cream, Etc.
>>
>>Below that, it says: Made & Bottled in Grenada.
>>
>>To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
>>metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
>>on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
>>time.
>>
>>No company name, or address of any kind on this bottle. I do not know from
>>what kind of
>>vendor the purchaser obtained it. I can send a picture of the bottle to
>>anyone who is interested in seeing it.
>>
>>I am concerned about the possibility of Coumarin in the vanilla. Does anyone
>>have any
>>suggestions as to how I might determine if this
>>vanilla is safe to use?
>
>
> If I give you my address will you mail it to me. My neighbours went on a cruise
> a few years ago and brought me a bottle of vanilla from Grenada that sounds just
> like the one you described. It was incredible. I have been searching ever since
> for something even close to that. A friend who is a chef brought me some from
> Dominican Republic that was a close second. It seems that bottling vanilla in
> cheap plastic containers and using cheap labels is quite common in the
> Caribbean.
>
> What can go bad in it? It is mostly alcohol.
>

The problem is it might be tonka bean extract instead of vanilla. Tonka
beans smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, but contain toxic
amounts of coumarin.

Bob

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Tank wrote:
>
> > Hi Group,
> >
> > My wife received a small bottle of imported
> > vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
> > taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
> > the safety of using this.
> >
> > It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
> > it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
> > previous label under the label for the vanilla.
> >
> > The label is badly cut & crooked, with plain laser printed text. It
says, in
> > big letters: PURE VANILLA. Under that, is says: Use for Cakes, Drinks,
> > Pudding, Ice Cream, Etc.
> >
> > Below that, it says: Made & Bottled in Grenada.
> >
> > To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
> > metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
> > on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
> > time.
> >
> > No company name, or address of any kind on this bottle. I do not know
from
> > what kind of
> > vendor the purchaser obtained it. I can send a picture of the bottle to
> > anyone who is interested in seeing it.
> >
> > I am concerned about the possibility of Coumarin in the vanilla. Does
anyone
> > have any
> > suggestions as to how I might determine if this
> > vanilla is safe to use?
>
> If I give you my address will you mail it to me. My neighbours went on a
cruise
> a few years ago and brought me a bottle of vanilla from Grenada that
sounds just
> like the one you described. It was incredible. I have been searching ever
since
> for something even close to that. A friend who is a chef brought me some
from
> Dominican Republic that was a close second. It seems that bottling vanilla
in
> cheap plastic containers and using cheap labels is quite common in the
> Caribbean.
>
> What can go bad in it? It is mostly alcohol.
>

Do I have permission to send you a picture of the bottle as
an email attachment? It would be a small .JPG file.

--
Tank

I will chime in and say that I also bought a bottle of vanilla in the Caribbean
in Cozumel, MX whose bottle label was torn and worn looking - they all looked
like that. The bottle itself seemed ok or at least not quite as 'used' as
yours sounds but like D. Smith said, it's contents were outrageously good and
getting more has been one of the reasons I've been wanting to go back to
Cozumel - not to mention the snorkeling and lovely, mysterious atmosphere.
But you see, I bought this myself and knew where it came from - I'm not certain
about using a screwed up looking bottle that I didn't see where it came from.

Tank wrote:

> Do I have permission to send you a picture of the bottle as
> an email attachment? It would be a small .JPG file.

Sure. If it is the same stuff I will give you my address and you can send me the
bottle of vanilla.

>(Pixmedia)
>
>But you see, I bought this myself and knew where it came from - I'm not
>certain
>about using a screwed up looking bottle that I didn't see where it came from.

You only know where you made the purchase, you've no idea whatsoever about the
bottle's contents... kinda like stupidmarket ground meat, mystery meat if you
will. Considering it's used by the teaspoon vanilla is relatively inexpensive,
toss it.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"Tank" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Group,
>
> My wife received a small bottle of imported
> vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
> taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
> the safety of using this.
>
Hell, toss it. Vanilla extract is too cheap to worry about getting a bad
lot.

In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:

> The problem is it might be tonka bean extract instead of vanilla. Tonka
> beans smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, but contain toxic
> amounts of coumarin.

I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out into
at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

Ranee Mueller > wrote in
:

> In article >, zxcvbob
> > wrote:
>
>> The problem is it might be tonka bean extract instead of vanilla.
>> Tonka beans smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, but contain
>> toxic amounts of coumarin.
>
> I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
> my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
> tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out
> into at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?
>
> Regards,
> Ranee
>

A local Mexican store sells vanilla from Mexico, but the bottles explicitly
state "contains no coumarin". I have used it, but it really doesn't
compare to the vanilla from Penzey's. I really hate making a recipe only
to find out that the vanilla I used produced a substandard flavor.

Wayne

Ranee Mueller wrote:
> In article >, zxcvbob
> > wrote:
>
>
>>The problem is it might be tonka bean extract instead of vanilla. Tonka
>>beans smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, but contain toxic
>>amounts of coumarin.
>
>
> I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
> my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
> tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out into
> at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?
>
> Regards,
> Ranee
>

I can't find any reasonable-looking information about how dangerous it is.
Is it a blood thinner, or liver toxin, or carcinogen, or what?

Labratory tests in rats are not conclusive in humans because humans and
rats metabolize couramin differently. The FDA bans vanilla extracts
containing couramin, and various state extension service web sites say
couramin in "Mexican vanilla" is an ongoing big problem, but they don't go
into details.

I would probably try the dubious vanilla extract once, as a curiosity, and
then throw it away just in case it really is toxic.

Someone gave my brother a big liquor bottle full of Mexican vanilla once
and he said it had a bit of an industrial solvent smell to it that gave him
a headache.

Best regards,
Bob

"Ranee Mueller" > wrote in message
...

>
> I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
> my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
> tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out into
> at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?
>

Well, using that reasoning, why the big fuss over using pottery with glazes
that contain lead? Would you risk using a tagine from Morocco (untested for
lead) to cook a meal for your children, even if you only use it
occasionally?

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:

>Well, using that reasoning, why the big fuss over using pottery with glazes
>that contain lead? Would you risk using a tagine from Morocco (untested for
>lead) to cook a meal for your children, even if you only use it
>occasionally?

Because different poisons act in different ways. Lead accumulates in
the body, and in sufficient concentrations, causes progressive damage.
Coumarin is readily metabolized, and in concentrations too small to
cause internal bleeding, is essentially harmless. In fact, it is
routinely used as an anticoagulant drug.

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

Does any one know what "Clear Vanilla Extract" is made from in the
USA? I know it's not vanilla beans.

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 12:30:48 -0500, "Tank" >
wrote:


>I am concerned about the possibility of Coumarin in the vanilla. Does anyone
>have any
>suggestions as to how I might determine if this
>vanilla is safe to use?
>
>Thanks very much!

Dear Tank,

I noticed your message pertaining to vanilla.
my
This is just thinking - I would not try this. I feel it should say,
'vanilla extract.' If it doesn't, a bit risky. You wish further
research on this and if so, may I suggest to check with a pharmasist.

Much luck to you.
sRp
st.

"Ranee Mueller" > wrote in message
>
> I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
> my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
> tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out into
> at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?

It would have to have one hell of a blast of it to be toxic. Yes, it is
used in rat poison, but in much heavier doses per pound of body weight
compared to a human. Many medications that we use daily are toxic in high
doses.

Coumerin (warfrin) is prescribed as a blood thinner. My wife took it every
day for about a year.While it is a poison in rodents, it was given to keep
her alive.

Personally, I'd use the vanilla.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

jmcquown wrote:

> Vanilla isn't that expensive; buy a bottle from Penzey's and toss away they
> mystery extract!

Don't waste it -- give it to a food pantry.
Hope this helps. :-)

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> jmcquown wrote:
>
> > Vanilla isn't that expensive; buy a bottle from Penzey's and toss away
they
> > mystery extract!
>
> Don't waste it -- give it to a food pantry.
> Hope this helps. :-)
>
>
>
>

Asshole.

From: (Mark=A0Thorson)
jmcquown wrote:
Vanilla isn't that expensive; buy a bottle from Penzey's and toss away
they mystery extract
Don't waste it -- give it to a food pantry. Hope this helps. :-)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Jerk

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 12:30:48 -0500, "Tank" >
wrote:

>My wife received a small bottle of imported
>vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
>taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
>the safety of using this.

>Below that, it says: Made & Bottled in Grenada.
>

Grenada is a spice island where nutmeg, allspice, cinammon, bay,
cloves, vanilla, and tonka bean, which contains coumarin, are all
grown. In 1940, The US banned import of foods containing coumarin,
which also occurs naturally in lavender, sweet clover, and woodruff.
Coumarin is used medically as a blood-thinner. I don't have the
background to wade through the literature and discover the toxic dose
in humans.

Two tonka beans were included in a souvenir spice basket someone
brought me from Grenada (labeled "packaged by Spice Islands Perfumes,
Ltd.," which appears to be a recommended shop for visiting cruise
ships). The accompanying pamphlet suggests a flavor similar to almond
or vanilla and grating a little into cake or pudding, or steeping in
rum or milk for a "delicious drink."

Seems to me if Grenadans advertise, use, and sell tonka beans, they're
unlikely to be lethal in culinary concentrations. The 'crime' of
Mexican vanilla appears to be misrepresentation of a cheap ingredient,
not something like bottling methanol and calling it vodka.

If the bottle is labeled "Pure Vanilla", I expect it's vanilla.

"Jonathan Sachs" > wrote in message
...
> "Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:
>
> >Well, using that reasoning, why the big fuss over using pottery with
glazes
> >that contain lead? Would you risk using a tagine from Morocco (untested
for
> >lead) to cook a meal for your children, even if you only use it
> >occasionally?
>
> Because different poisons act in different ways. Lead accumulates in
> the body, and in sufficient concentrations, causes progressive damage.
> Coumarin is readily metabolized, and in concentrations too small to
> cause internal bleeding, is essentially harmless. In fact, it is
> routinely used as an anticoagulant drug.
>
> My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

Umm, nope. You're thinking of COUMADIN. That is the anti-coagulant.
It is Wafarin-Sodium. I know, I take 2mg every day!

--
Tank

Thin blooded in the Ohio cold!

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> Ranee Mueller > wrote in
> :
>
> > In article >, zxcvbob
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> The problem is it might be tonka bean extract instead of vanilla.
> >> Tonka beans smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, but contain
> >> toxic amounts of coumarin.
> >
> > I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
> > my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
> > tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out
> > into at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ranee
> >
>
> A local Mexican store sells vanilla from Mexico, but the bottles explicitly
> state "contains no coumarin". I have used it, but it really doesn't
> compare to the vanilla from Penzey's. I really hate making a recipe only
> to find out that the vanilla I used produced a substandard flavor.
>
> Wayne

Why dont you make your own? Take a vanilla bean, split it down the center,
open it up and put it in a cup of vodka. Shake it once a day and after a week
you have amazing vanilla extract, better than you buy in the stores

--
Michael Ellis, IAPP
Privacy Manager
Date.com
Phone 877-224-DATE x2620

Date.com - "The New Way To Date"




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On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 16:56:53 -0800, Ranee Mueller
> wrote:

>In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:
>
>> The problem is it might be tonka bean extract instead of vanilla. Tonka
>> beans smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, but contain toxic
>> amounts of coumarin.
>
> I have read/heard this many times, but one question always comes to
>my mind: How toxic is coumarin? I mean, you use anywhere from 1/4-2
>tsps of vanilla for an entire recipe, which is generally spread out into
>at least 8-16 servings, is it really that dangerous?

I wasn't able to find any info on what the toxic dose of coumarin was
for humans. As I posted, I have a souvenir spice basket from an
apparently respectable Grenada source which includes Tonka Beans,
recommeded as for their vanilla-/almond-like flavor.

Coumarin, in specific dosages, is prescribed as a blood-thinning
agent. As 'Warfarin', it's used a poison which apparently causes
internal bleeding. Most citations had to do with cattle's
over-ingestion of sweet clover, which also contains coumarin. Almost
anything you can think of is toxic in sufficient dose, incl. water.

If 'fake vanilla' poisoning were common, we'd have heard about it. The
sin seems to be substituting a cheap ingredient for an expensive one.

I just opened my little pkg of Tonka beans and compared the scent to a
vanilla bean. Tonka smelled pleasantly like mild vanilla; vanilla was
*much* stronger and more vivid.

"Tank" > wrote:

>Umm, nope. You're thinking of COUMADIN. That is the anti-coagulant.
>It is Wafarin-Sodium. I know, I take 2mg every day!

Coumarin is the naturally occurring chemical from which Coumadin is
synthesized. I am not trained in pharmacology, but from the
information I have been able to find, I gather that its effects are
substantially the same.

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

Hark! I heard "Tank" > say:

> My wife received a small bottle of imported
> vanilla extract as a gift from her boss, who had
> taken a Carribean cruise. I am wondering about
> the safety of using this.
>
> It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
> it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
> previous label under the label for the vanilla.

<snip>

> To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
> metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
> on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
> time.

The bottle sounds interesting -- dump the contents down the
drain, and save it as a conversation piece...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

In article >, "Rona
Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:

> Well, using that reasoning, why the big fuss over using pottery with
> glazes that contain lead? Would you risk using a tagine from Morocco
> (untested for lead) to cook a meal for your children, even if you
> only use it occasionally?

Well, for one thing, lead builds up in the blood and AFAIK, coumarin
doesn't. If it did, then drs couldn't safely prescribe warfarin which
is derived from coumarin. I asked, because it seems a silly precaution
when it is in tiny amounts diluted in food, when one can safely take a
particular dose of it which is refined.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

In article >,
wrote:

> Because different poisons act in different ways. Lead accumulates in
> the body, and in sufficient concentrations, causes progressive damage.
> Coumarin is readily metabolized, and in concentrations too small to
> cause internal bleeding, is essentially harmless. In fact, it is
> routinely used as an anticoagulant drug.

This is why I was confused. I think we will continue to use Mexican
vanilla when we can get it. The bottle we got from my MIL was far more
fragrant and tasted better in foods than the stuff we get at the store.

Regards,
Ranee (who will not worry about the 1/32 of a tsp she may ingest of
this in a week)

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

In article >, Frogleg
> wrote:

> If 'fake vanilla' poisoning were common, we'd have heard about it. The
> sin seems to be substituting a cheap ingredient for an expensive one.

This is what I suspect as well. The only crime then is in
mislabelling, since they are not selling it at a high price.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:

> Someone gave my brother a big liquor bottle full of Mexican vanilla
> once and he said it had a bit of an industrial solvent smell to it
> that gave him a headache.

If we got any that smelled like that, then I would toss it. The one
bottle we got was lovely and fragrant.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 17:30:40 GMT, (j.j.)
wrote:

>Hark! I heard "Tank" > say:

>> It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
>> it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
>> previous label under the label for the vanilla.

>> To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
>> metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
>> on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
>> time.
>
>The bottle sounds interesting -- dump the contents down the
>drain, and save it as a conversation piece...

A recent post here (about sugar content in tomato sauce, I think)
indicated that foods in Canada don't bear the same ingredient and/or
nutrition labels we have in the US. So I guess we should dump all food
items that haven't entered the USA with USDA approval labeling
(sympathy to our northern neighbors). My Grenada spice basket
includes a number of items in small plastic bags and a sort of
hand-crafted label and info sheet. It never occurred to me to think
these suspect because they were without US gov't-approved labeling. Or
were labeled without a 4-color press.

Hark! I heard Frogleg > say:
> On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 17:30:40 GMT, (j.j.)
> wrote:
>
> >Hark! I heard "Tank" > say:
>
> >> It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
> >> it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
> >> previous label under the label for the vanilla.
>
> >> To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
> >> metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
> >> on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
> >> time.
> >
> >The bottle sounds interesting -- dump the contents down the
> >drain, and save it as a conversation piece...
>
> A recent post here (about sugar content in tomato sauce, I think)
> indicated that foods in Canada don't bear the same ingredient and/or
> nutrition labels we have in the US. So I guess we should dump all food
> items that haven't entered the USA with USDA approval labeling
> (sympathy to our northern neighbors). My Grenada spice basket
> includes a number of items in small plastic bags and a sort of
> hand-crafted label and info sheet. It never occurred to me to think
> these suspect because they were without US gov't-approved labeling. Or
> were labeled without a 4-color press.

Hardly the same thing -- read this part again:

"It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
previous label under the label for the vanilla."

If a third party gave me a bottle in this condition, *regardless*
of country of origin, I simply wouldn't consume it. YMMV...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Frogleg wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 17:30:40 GMT, (j.j.)
> wrote:
>
>
>>Hark! I heard "Tank" > say:
>
>
>>>It is in a small brown bottle, which looks like
>>>it has been reused. There is adhesive from a
>>>previous label under the label for the vanilla.
>
>
>>>To cap is a sealed, twist off kind. It is made of
>>>metal, the kind where there is a separate ring
>>>on the bottle, after you have opened it the first
>>>time.
>>
>>The bottle sounds interesting -- dump the contents down the
>>drain, and save it as a conversation piece...
>
>
> A recent post here (about sugar content in tomato sauce, I think)
> indicated that foods in Canada don't bear the same ingredient and/or
> nutrition labels we have in the US. So I guess we should dump all food
> items that haven't entered the USA with USDA approval labeling
> (sympathy to our northern neighbors). My Grenada spice basket
> includes a number of items in small plastic bags and a sort of
> hand-crafted label and info sheet. It never occurred to me to think
> these suspect because they were without US gov't-approved labeling. Or
> were labeled without a 4-color press.


But your spice bags contain raw agricultural products; like a bag of pinto
beans, only smaller and not as common. So they don't make a very good analogy.

Bob