Kraft will help fight intestinal worms

by Sarah J. Gim (Subscribe to Sarah J. Gim's posts)
Posted Feb 11th 2008 7:33PM
Filed under: South America, Business, Asia, Culinary Kids, South Africa, Northern Africa, Health & Medical

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The idea of worms is not something I'd normally want to bring up on a food blog, but in the case of mega-ginormous food conglomerate Kraft, worms are driving the development of a new food line.

Wait...what?!?!

Yes, worms, but don't worry about finding the creepy crawly things in your next blue box of macaroni and cheese. Kraft is developing a new food that is supposed to taste good, and also kill intestinal worms, which is a major problem in in rural Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The food is still in the early stages of development, so there's no word on what the food will be, but one of the ingredients in it will be a de-worming pesticide. It sounds horrible to put something called a "pesticide" in food, but let's just think of it as a chemical that will help millions of children get rid of those nasty intestinal worms.

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2-12-2008 @ 6:24AM

Red Icculus said...

If it were adding worms to our diet, I would assume it contained erythrobate.

If it were to be getting rid of worms, I assume it would contain wormwood herb.

I wish your post wasn't much of a teaser and more about this mystery food.

2-12-2008 @ 3:58AM

Alex said...

Hasn't there been a pile of studies done that show that when people (and children in particular) in rural or indigenous communities have worming treatments the incidence of things like allergies and asthma increases?

I remember seeing something once about people suffering various forms of IBS who, on the back of these kinds of studies, were being treated using (I think) some kind of hook worm. The idea was that the immune system likes to have something to deal with so when things like worms are eliminated then the immune system tends to turn towards dealing with the body itself.

2-12-2008 @ 10:19PM

Adriane said...

So, will the product be free?

If not- I highly doubt a society that has intestinal worm problems will be able to afford a kraft product. Just saying...

2-12-2008 @ 4:32PM

Eris said...

Yeah, but these aren't (relatively) benign parasites... They are trying to eradicate filiarisis and flukes, the kind of worms that are responsible for incredibly disabling chronic conditions. The kinds that cause blindness, anemia, elephantitis. I think that allergies or asthma wouldn't be too much of a issue, as there are still plenty of other things for the immune system to attack in those areas.

(and erythrobate is a sodium compound. there are no worms in it.)

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