A Florida produce company is excited to unveil its new product on Saturday at the Produce Industry Trade Show in Orlando.
Yes, a colorful spin on the classic crunchy vegetable, celery.
American customers consume, on average, about 6 pounds of celery for every person.
Red celery will be available at select stores for testing. Starting at the West coast, Northwest and Southwest. How will Americans react to this bright, unique vegetable?
It took nearly 20 years to breed this new type of celery using only natural breeding methods.
Would you eat red celery?
11 comments:
I think this is a really clever way to make kids eat celery. I remember seeing commercials for green and purple ketchup. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was just fun eating things that were unusually colored (but not like diseased or rotten stuff). I feel that 50% of a food's appeal is how its appearance, and red celery would be a new spin on a classic vegetable, so yes, I would eat red celery.
This is an interesting color for celery. It kind of reminds me of purple carrots. Since it's taken 20 years to breed, I'm sure it's safe to eat.
Ew! I hate celery...yet it will be easier to stand out in otherwise green salad so I can take it out myself! Tony is correct, food appeals more if a color is more "human" and red makes it more festive and "passionate" (english symbolism!!!) Yet I still wouldn't like it since it still tastes the same! But it is pretty to look at!
I think that this is interesting from an ethical perspective as well. Genetic engineering of crops is, fundamentally, the same as selective breeding, considering we, as humans, are actively influencing the mixing of genes. I have a feeling that people would be more skeptical of red celery that is red because of direct gene manipulation; why is it that this particular red celery is treated as "safer" than genetically modified celery, when they may contain the same exact gene expression?
After reading over this post and in response to Peter's comment I think consumers are worried about it to some extent. From a consumer's viewpoint I would wonder is it really safe for considering that genetically modified foods do not require labels. We should eat it, I don't see how it is any different than green celery. How harmful can it be?
~Emily Zelter
Honestly, I am a bit wary of the new celery. Many people may be opposed to it because it is new and may think that "Oh, this red celery must be genetically modified," or something along those lines. Moreover, what is the point of making red celery? I think the green one is just as fine, seeing how the red celery seems to provide no real health benefit aside from maybe color appeal, like what Tony said. It seems like a waste of 20 years to change the color of a plant. The plant may not even survive for as long as regular celery as it may not be able to photosynthesize and produce enough food possibly in the wild or in famines. Who knows!
This is really interesting and unique. Not something you hear everyday!! I can't believe it took 20 years to breed this vegetable!!! I would try red celery!! :)
This is so weird!
To me, this sounds like a marketing ploy. According to www.dudafresh.com, the new celery comes from the new line of vegetables (what is this, a clothing line?) called "Celery Sensations", and according to The Dish (a food blog by Heather McPherson that can be found at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_food_blog/), it comes with a Microsoft tag that you can scan with a phone that will give you recipes and more!
Apparently it tastes different from regular, green celery, but to me the whole thing seems like a plan to get people to buy this "radically new" vegetable that, in reality, isn't that much different than regular celery. Duda Farm Fresh Foods (the company that "exclusively offers" red celery) advertises it by saying, "Beautiful and unique Red Celery adds creativity to your meals." (This is from http://www.dudafresh.com/products/redcelery.php.) The same website says it's a "low calorie product", and from my memory, normal celery is too. (Isn't there a fact about how the act of eating celery burns more calories than the actual digesting of celery gives you?)
The only creative and unique thing about it to me is that it's RED. Yay?
First of all, I love celery! The crispy and watery texture of this vegetable has never failed to satisfy my hunger. Although there are worries and concerns about strange new foods, this should be an exception to those worries. It's NOT genetically modified. Natural breeding is usually a very safe method of creating new varieties of crops, and this red celery would be as safe as the green celery we normally see in stores. I will definitely get some red celery once it hits stores and make some "Ants on a log".
Fun fact: Celery is a negative calorie food. You use up more calories masticating and digesting a stalk of cerlery than the amount of calories the celery actually contains.
Sorry, that comment by "ALICE" was by Alice Bebbington, just to be clear!
In terms of red celery, and genetically engineered food in general, I really don't care. Perhaps I like a hands-off approach, perhaps I know I'm going to die eventually and don't really care if that comes as a result of red celery. When I was little, I ate dirt. Now I eat genetically modified food. What's the difference?
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