Europe Travelblog  -

13 Apr '05 - + 14 - 16 AB and GM Foods

Anheuser-Busch is threatening not to use any rice from my home state of Missouri in their beer if Missouri allows genetically-modified medicinal crops to be grown in the state.  My initial thought about this threat is that it's probably misplaced.  I don't have a fear of "Frankenfood" like many (particularly in Europe) have.  I could be wrong, but the whole thing seems overblown.

However, I have a bigger problem with AB's threat; the insistence in using rice in beer.  Rice has no place in beer!  Germans have made some of the best beers in the world for centuries without rice, and the law enforces this.  If AB actually cared about quality beer (or Frankenfoods), they would simply drop the rice from their formula and make a better beer.

I don't expect that to happen.

three comments, already:

There’s rice in beer?!

Oh, and God forbid “frankenfoods” gain more of a following, and actually keep some people from starving.

Rich Unger - 13 April '05 - 12:45

Your blog removes <a> elements? I guess to stop comment spam, right? Well, the link was: http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/fileLib..

Rich Unger - 13 April '05 - 12:46

There’s rice in beer?!

Well, that depends on whether you consider Budweiser to be beer :)

Here’s what they say on their website (http://www.anheuser-busch.com/overview/B..):
* Rice provides Budweiser with its characteristic lightness, crispness and refreshing taste.
* Many brewers use only four ingredients in beer – water, barley malt, hops and yeast.
* The additional step of brewing Budweiser with rice provides the balance necessary to create its trademark refreshing taste, “drinkability” and crispness. While “extra,” this step is critical to the unique taste of Budweiser.
* Anheuser-Busch is the largest purchaser of rice in the United States, accounting for more than 8 percent of all domestic rice consumption. The company owns rice mills in Arkansas and California.

Basically, rice is the filler. Oh well.

Yeah, I have it set up to remove tags for comment spam. Since Pivot Blacklist (http://www.i-marco.nl/pivot-blacklist/pi..) works so well, I might change that soon.

Lance Finney (link) - 13 April '05 - 13:16