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Tasty
in Soup?
In
April 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and
the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency warned consumers not to consume a
poisonous flowering perennial plant commonly called
Autumn Monkshood.
The warning was issued because several of the
plants distributed by Valleybrook Gardens, Ltd., a
Canadian nursery located in British Columbia, had been
mislabeled suggesting that they were edible....
The
label should have read, “All
parts of this plant are toxic,” but an
employee changed it to, “All
parts of this plant are TASTY
in soup.” According
to Michael Benoit, the nursery’s general manager,
“The employee was making a practical joke and
thought it would be caught by a horticulturist.”
The
FDA warned: “All parts of this plant are
poisonous!
Cooking will NOT detoxify the toxic
compounds.” In
its warning the Agency listed the symptoms of being
poisoned by the plant including cardiovascular
complications: “DEATH could occur due to ventricular
arrhythmias (irregular heart beat) or direct paralysis
of the heart.”
The
FDA reported that Valleybrook Gardens called all of
its accounts, including nurseries in British Columbia,
Canada, and Washington State and Idaho in the U.S.,
and notified them of the situation and asked them to
pull the incorrect labels.
Thankfully, when the FDA issued the report on
April 26, 2001, there were no known illnesses or
injuries. *
The
Autumn Monkshood plants are not the ONLY harmful
things to be mislabeled.
The
Bible warns us of the deceitfulness of SIN
(Hebrews 3:13). Although
it is often “labeled” as something good and
enjoyable, it is DEADLY
(Romans 6:23).
The bad news is that ALL
of us have succumbed to sin’s temptation (Romans
3:23) and are in danger of suffering its consequences.
But
God has a remedy....
Because
of His GREAT love for us, He sent His Son to die for
our sins (John 3:16).
WHEN we believe
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess
Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Him (Acts 2:38), THEN He will
cleanse us from sin.
And, as we walk in the light of His Word, He
will continue to cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:7).
Although
mislabeled, sin CAN be “tasty” (pleasurable),
but ONLY for a season (Hebrews 11:25). In the end, it is COSTLY and DEADLY!
Won’t
YOU accept God’s
remedy?
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Information gleaned
from “FDA Talk Paper: FDA and Canadian Food Inspection Agency Warn
Against Consuming Mislabeled Poisonous Plant Called Autumn Monkshood” at
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpplants.html and the University Chronicle
of the St. Cloud (MN) University – www.universitychronicle.com
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