Banishing MSG, artificial flavorings, synthetic colorings, nitrites, nitrates and more, Pasta & Co, a Seattle favorite for more than 20 years serving ready-to-eat-or-heat epicurean fare, today announced that it will now offer only pure, additive-free foods.
Each product sold in the Company's four neighborhood stores will now be dished up or sold to customers without synthetic or chemical food additives.
Before embarking on its change, Pasta & Co conducted exhaustive research to learn as much as it could about additives and was astounded to find how many seemingly healthy foods or foods marketed as healthful actually contain additives.
The list of synthetic ingredients and flavoring or coloring additives was long and included calcium disodium EDTA, MSG, synthetic sweeteners, hydrogenated oils/trans fats, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein, among many others.
Items or ingredients that did not meet the "pure" criteria were dropped.
We've concluded that food additives of any kind may be unhealthy, unsafe, unnecessary in many instances, and mask a serious lack of true nutritional value in today's processed foods," said Kurt Beecher Dammeier, Pasta & Co's owner.
Pasta & Co promotes the concept that everyone should purchase, prepare and eat food with care and awareness, which means considering the source of food products, the ingredients that make up food, and the taste of food.
Some retraining of taste buds may be required so that we once again savor and celebrate the authentic flavors of wholesome, nutritious foods, but the taste of food with integrity is more than worth it."
To spread the word, the Company has set a lofty goal for itself -- to change the way that people think about food and how they eat, one customer at a time.
Under this non-profit program, 1% of all retail sales are allocated to a fund offering grants to non-profit organizations teaching about the benefits of pure, all-natural food.