RFK Jr. x DGA x L&M-Validation! Read and Take Action to protect your health

 

Until yesterday, we felt like strangers in a strange land, unprocessed in an ultraprocessed world.

Yet we persisted to follow our lifestyle. Why? Because, for us, Lotus & Michael, as people, it was and is the only way to live. This lifestyle manifested itself not just in our cooking and food, but in our clothing, art and gardening, which all connects. 

Now we are no longer the weirdos, the creeps (as in the Radiohead song) that sometimes left us wondering what the hell are we doing there.

Yesterday, RFK Jr. Brooke Rollins and the US Government published new dietary guidelines which match exactly with how we have been living, which we have documented on our YouTube channel.

Before we look at those guidelines (which also explain the rationale), let’s look at where we were and what we were fed by Government before and brainwashed by business driven by greed and profit, not public health.

The Smithsonian Magazine has a cool article entitled “Grab Your Fork and Travel Back in Time with These Old USDA Dietary Guidelines” published in 2016. It traces the history of government involvement in citizens’ food consumption since 1894.

This is the 1992 pyramid that we all knew well:

  

We can see clearly that we were told that the main component of our diet was the bread and pasta group, while meat, milk, yogurt and cheese were, taken together, less of our diet than the bread group. Also, “fats, oils and sweets” are all lumped together and clearly to be avoided, if possible, since the advice says, “use sparingly.”

So fat was the enemy, and oil was open season for any kind of oil that promised less saturated fat.

Nothing in the guidelines distinguishes canned, frozen or prepared foods from whole foods. This is why, if you go into any major supermarket today, that 80-90% of the shelf space in the center is devoted to packaged food, with fresh or whole food on the outside. 

So, no matter if you purchased canned, frozen or other food with processed ingredients, as long as you followed the pyramid you were going to be ok?

What is worse, the pyramid and the direction of the US government portrays fat as the enemy of health, which influences all of America’s other food decisions: lowfat yogurt and milk, margarine instead of butter, vegetable oils instead of natural fats and oils, and puts you on notice that the enemies of your health are foods that our ancestors, especially before WWII enriched us as a country, subsisted on and grew healthy enough on to give birth to us.

Even worse, we were told that foods that were convenient to prepare were our birthright as civilized, modern Americans. This has been sold to us for years. I am old enough to remember TV dinners, which were processed crap, being fed to me because “they” said it was healthy and nutritious (I especially remember Salisbury Steak, which was an excuse for minced meat, with who knows what inside. OMG). What about Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup? I remember my mother using that as a sauce for lamb chops—what a way to ruin meat! Checking their labels with today’s knowledge should scare the snot out of you.

Here’s the ingredient label from today’s version of the Swanson dinner, which is apparently still being sold because you can order it online for $5.29:

  

Check out the sodium and cholesterol content. So here’s the point: If I wanted to cook a dinner of minced meat, mashed potatoes and corn , I would need about half dozen ingredients, starting with meat, potatoes and corn. Not all the other crap.

You can find Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup online or in your local supermarket to see ingredients. Suffice it to say that the sodium content is 850mg, and mushrooms are one of about a dozen ingredients. ‘Nuf said.

The FDA’s current maximum intake of sodium is 2300mg/day with a target of <2000. So the TV dinner is more than half of what I should have/day. Should I be angry at my mother? No, because she was naively following “their” direction. Should I be angry at the companies that did and still do produce this toxic crap? Mostly. Should I be angry at the FDA for telling you that you were eating a time bomb (see this article), but not taking any aggressive action to protect Americans’ health? Yes. Until now.

“They” were more than likely companies like P&G, Kraft, Unilever, Nabisco etc. who had the attention and trust of Americans and exploited it for their own profit by capitalizing on the ignorance of Americans as to why foods on the pyramid could be harmful and why foods in their original versions were better for your health. In fact, this was knowledge they probably didn’t want you to have, and they had the money to convince you that their crap was better for you because it saved you time. The sugar and sodium that it took to make the food addictive? All the other ingredients you don’t need and which, taken together and separately, may harm you? Oh, never mind about that.

Then the logical outgrowth of this pyramid is that any fat was bad for you, so you should avoid it at all costs. A huge industry was born: the low-fat world. Rather than just sell milk, companies had three or more skus they could market. Reduced or low fat and No fat or fat free (have you tasted skim milk?). So the less fat the better, right? RFK Jr. and the DGA debunked that myth. 

If you are an older adult, the goal is to strike fear of mortality in your head so that you don’t dare contradict what the government and the companies are telling you. Check out this pyramid called “My Pyramid for Older Adults:”

  

Let’s look closer at the graphic. Notice that a significant percentage of  the items are frozen, packaged or canned, that the dairy is non-fat or low-fat and that the oil is soft spread (check that for yourself next time in the supermarket and check out the trans fat content). Vegetable oil has been reported to attach itself to your body, and not in a good way. Packaged whole wheat bread is rarely 100% whole wheat, and if it is, it is doctored with other things like sugar to make it palatable.

Now maybe you are thinking, “what’s wrong with that?” What’s wrong, as RFK Jr. has pointed out, is that instead of improving Americans’ health over the years, there has been a significant decline and that our diets at least partially may be causing that. Don’t take my word for it. To get a great picture, or refresher, on where we were and where we are now foodwise, read this 2024 article from the American Heart Association: Too much of a food thing: A century of change in how we eat

The HHS has summed up those statistics in relation to the American health situation as it relates to health care costs:

• According to a recent analysis by Johns Hopkins, 48% of all federal tax dollars are spent on health care – and 90% of U.S. health care spending is on people with chronic diseases. Many of these conditions are preventable, often reversible, and often tied to the food we eat.

• The United States faces the highest obesity and Type 2 Diabetes rates (OECD) in the developed world.

• The United States spend 2.5 times more per capita than the average of developed countries (OECD) on health care – and our life expectancy is 4 years lower. Chronic conditions tied to food are major contributors to this.

• The US childhood obesity rate is nearly five times higher than some other developed countries like France.

• In the United States, one-third of teens suffer from pre-diabetes, 20% of children and adolescents have obesity, and 18.5% of young adults have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

• 77% of military-aged youth aren’t eligible to join the military – primarily due to chronic diseases tied to food.

• A recent study of Medicare beneficiaries found that a 15% weight loss reduction resulted in nearly $1,000 per year in lower Medicare spending. 

So what do Americans do now? The answer in a nutshell is do what your grandma did—eat whole, real food; buy fresh produce; bake your own bread or buy from a bakery that is making the real stuff, eat good quality meat and fresh fruits and vegetables in season. 

But the caveat to all this is: Don’t eat too much. With all this low- or no-fat shit on offer, why are an overwhelming majority of Americans obese? 

Now comes RFK Jr. After years of the FDA allowing the big companies to prey on Americans, he and Brooke Rollins turned everything upside down. They call the result Dietary Guidelines for Americans; it can also be called the Grandma Diet. No mysteries or tricks. Just going back to real, whole food and recognizing the benefits of that for health of all Americans. Here, if you have been in Antartica and haven’t seen this yet, is the new food “pyramid.”

  

Now take a good look at this graphic. It is turned on its head, based on the realization that protein and fat is NOT bad for you, it is the staff of life that generations before lived on, and why they were healthier than us. See the meat, cheese and whole milk on top? Take a look at the butter and look at butter’s ingredients next time you are in the supermarket. Normally, it has ONE ingredient: Butter. And the eggs—this is also a travesty of industry that has been preyed upon us. The $1.99 eggs you buy in the supermarket are, well—you get what you pay for—chickens raised in deplorable conditions, rather than the barnyard chickens your grandma used (and maybe even raised) which are healthier for you.

For the most part, this graphic is whole, fresh food. 

Along with this picture, are the comments and the rationale for this change. I didn’t want to omit anything important, so I copied most of it:

“The message is simple: eat real food.

To Make America Healthy Again, we must return to the basics. American households must prioritize diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains. Paired with a dramatic reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives, this approach can change the health trajectory for so many Americans.

The United States is amid a health emergency. Nearly 90% of health care spending goes to treating people who have chronic diseases. Many of these illnesses are not genetic destiny; they are the predictable result of the Standard American Diet—a diet which, over time, has become reliant on highly processed foods and coupled with a sedentary lifestyle.

The consequences have been devastating. More than 70% of American adults are overweight or obese. Nearly one in three American adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 has prediabetes. Diet-driven chronic disease now disqualifies large numbers of young Americans from military service, undermining national readiness and cutting off a historic pathway to opportunity and upward mobility.

For decades, federal incentives have promoted low-quality, highly processed foods and pharmaceutical intervention instead of prevention. This crisis is the result of poor policy choices; inadequate nutrition research; and a lack of coordination acrossfederal, state, local, and private partners.

This changes today.

We are realigning our food system to support American farmers, ranchers, and companies who grow and produce real food—and the Trump administration is working to ensure all families can afford it.

We are putting real food back at the center of the American diet. Real food that nourishes the body. Real food that restores health. Real food that fuels energy and encourages movement and exercise. Real food that builds strength.” 

Are they f**king crazy? Turning everything we have been told upside down? Are they a bunch of Trumpian cranks? Is my cholesterol going to go through the roof with this diet?

Apparently not. The Wall Street Journal reports:

“The American Heart Association in a statement said it welcomed the new guidelines, praising their endorsement of whole grains and warning against sugary drinks, though said it was “concerned” that the recommended salt seasoning and red meat would lead people to eat too much sodium and saturated fat.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also commended the guidelines, despite having two active lawsuits against Kennedy over his cancellation of grants to the organization and over some of his vaccine moves.

American Medical Association president Dr. Bobby Mukkamala attended the White House unveiling of the guidelines and praised them without reservation in a statement. Kennedy said he received a letter from the doctor when he first entered office and has a good relationship with him.” 

Some doctors, on the wrong hand, would rather keep their patients marinating in medicine and visiting often, so they are in a lose-lose position if their patients start believing and improving their health.

There is no room for skepticism, given the decline of Americans’ health. 

So what does this have to do with Lotus & Michael?

To begin with, this is the best validation we could get for what we have been doing and living on our own. Our brand and all its products, as we explain on our website, is the connection of the elements that have defined and do define our lifestyle. Natural fabrics, many of which are plant dyed, and art that celebrates nature, whole food that we grow and buy what we can’t. This is us, and what we have been sharing.

We have practiced a virtual copy of these guidelines for years. Our grocery bill contains no packaged foods beyond milk, cheese, butter etc. and every meal is derived from fresh food. We only use three sources of fat: butter, pure olive oil and fat we render from the duck or chicken that we butcher. OMG your cholesterol must be through the roof! Not at all. We have no prescription medicine, and our doctors are not pillheads.

We cook at home, very rarely eat outside food. What is the US trend in this area? I found one graphic which clearly shows why we felt like weirdos:

  

The graphic just tracks the difference between 1977-1978 and 2017-2018, so it would be a lot more dramatic if it started at, sat 1950 and tracked through 2025. Be that as it may, you can clearly see the decline in home cooking and the dramatic rise of outside food, especially fast food (where you don’t get to see a list of ingredients).

What about RFK Jr.’s diet? The WSJ reports:

“Kennedy now follows what he calls a “carnivore diet.” He eats grass-fed steak, eggs, kimchi and sauerkraut, and says he has a freezer full of 900 pounds of meat, some of it hunted by his children. He has been known to down a tub of yogurt in meetings at HHS headquarters—he said he favors the Maple Hill brand, which advertises itself as grass-fed and organic.”

First, the keys to RFK Jr’s diet—The “carnivore” is balanced by kimchi, sauerkraut and yogurt, all of which are the enemy of inflammation. Just how good this diet is, is based on your blood test results, but the basic theory is what we follow. We eat lamb, duck, and pork belly, but we don’t eat it every day. The basics of our diet are: 1. Protein—can be beans, tofu etc. 2. “Main food”- this is what fills your belly. We choose rice (regular and sticky); Pasta (from Italy, single source), noodles (Lotus handmakes) or bread (I bake); 3. The green. Every dinner must have it. But we don’t eat meat every day. 

Here’s a secret most Americans don’t know or cannot fulfill. In addition to how much you eat (you think all those pot bellies you see are from eating a disciplined diet), a key I learned over time is WHEN you eat. Those of us (and God knows life doesn’t make it easy) that eat because we are hungry at midnight or later are shooting ourselves in the (more than foot); Our dinner is served at 16:30 and breakfast is next day at 10:30 with a coffee break plus homemade butter shortbread cookies in between. BTW, taking a GLP-1injection does not solve the problem. Eating healthier is the best way to keep your weight and your health under control.

What can you do if you are trapped in an office? Prepare in advance and don’t give up your principles.

Most of this is easy, IF you are willing to make the effort and not depend on outsiders to put your food together and then deliver it to you.

I hear your F**k you, but we were part of the 9-5 (or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9) crowd for years, so we know what you are going through. 

You can see lots more by visiting our Youtube channel, where we have documented a lot of it in more than 60 lifestyle videos, all wearing our garments.

Oh, then this lifestyle shit is just an excuse to sell clothes, right? No, it is part of our commitment to ourselves and our planet that aligns with our government’s current policy . Would be a little stupid to start all this if we were addicted to ultraprocessed foods; well, even if not stupid, it would not be authentic. That’s not us and it resembles the greenwashing that we all are exposed to daily.

No, seriously, what does RFK Jr. and DGA and Lotus & Michael have to do with each other?

Authenticity. The real truth. What is and has been lacking in the crap we all have been served. (Go ahead- Defend Swanson’s TV dinners or your diet nutritionally)

Our clothing, art, gardening and food all stem from the same vision. Buy less, buy better, buy quality, buy multifunctional that will, in our own small way, help with the huge textile waste problem and our environment. Our clothes do not debilitate the health of our planet, and we don’t wear them for narcissistic purposes. They make us feel good, because they are of excellent quality and, with their embroidery, make a distinctive fashion statement. Our closets are not full, and it takes years for something to wear out so we need to replace it. Our styles are classic with a touch of embroidery elegance, and will never be out of, always in, style, yet individual to reflect the individual in our customers, not to brand them as cookie cutter copiers.

We have worked for a long time to build our brand story, in which we try to take a leadership position and hope to inspire others to follow us. 

Now that the the US Government has validated a big part of our lifestyle which we have practiced for years, we hope that our clothing can inspire you to follow us and reboot your philosophy and actions about food, clothing, art, gardening and more.

Visit our website and our Youtube channel, then tell us if we are real or full of shit. Talk to us about your food practices, and what if anything you will change in the future. We can exchange information, gardening tips, maybe recipes.

This is not AI talking, this is us. Come, look good, maintain your weight and health, and enjoy nature’s gifts with us.

More than talk together and exchange fashion, art, gardening and lifestyle experiences, you can write to us and tell us what you think of life in the slow lane 😀 What secrets and tips do you have for us and our customers? Write to me, michael@lotusandmichael.com

Happy New Year!

Love, Lotus & Michael

 

Art x You x Lotus & Michael

Your Best Investment (by Historic and Personal standards)

 

1. ART- History and Projections of the Global Art Market

$552.97 Billion in 2025- Global art market size. Be honest- If I asked you to estimate, what would have been your number?

Growth 2024-2025 was at a CAGR of 5.5%. Growth through 2029 is estimated at a CAGR of 5.9% (see below)

 

How does this compare with Global GDP? Estimates for 2025-2026 range from 2.3% World Bank Group to 3.3% (International Money Fund-IMF).

Here’s what World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill has to say about global growth prospects:

“International discord—about trade, in particular—has upended many of the policy certainties that helped shrink extreme poverty and expand prosperity after the end of World War II. This year alone, our forecasts indicate the upheaval will slice nearly half a percentage point off the global GDP growth rate that had been expected at the start of the year, cutting it to 2.3 percent. That’s the weakest performance in 17 years, outside of outright global recessions. By 2027, global GDP growth is expected to average just 2.5 percent in the 2020s—the slowest pace of any decade since the 1960s.” 

The same World Bank report predicts about 2.7% growth in the coming years. The IMF is much the same, but distinguishes between regions:

 

 

Just how big is the number for the Global Art Market compared to other major market categories? Let’s compare it to the Global Apparel Market: Uniform Market estimates the 2025 global apparel market size at $1.84 Trillion, or about 1.6% of global GDP.  So the global art market is 1/3 the size of apparel? Did you know? (I didn’t)

Let’s take it a step further. Given the above data, where to put your money, and what is a “safe” investment that will provide stable growth with least risk? Property? Stocks? Bonds? Crypto? Commodities? Assuming you don’t have a crystal ball that can see the future, and given the global economic data, ohshit.

Clearly, the market for art is not subject to the current trade and political issues. And is it an especially good investment in times like these? What would cause the art market to depress like the stock or bitcoin markets?

2. Art x YOU

Most especially, given the economic data, what do you do with your money? OF course, you want the most growth and the least risk. You kind of knew what I was going to suggest: ART.

Why?

To begin with, the data above shows that art should be a singularly good investment in the coming years.

But what is the risk?

None. None?

If you are comfortable with the price you paid for art, you have nothing to lose. 

An investment in art has emotional value. Yes, there is emotional satisfaction in making a profitable investment but, unless you have issues, it’s not the same as a beautiful piece of art. Maddox Gallery in London elaborates four benefits of the emotional value of art as a  as a Passion Investment  which brings you lasting satisfaction and value:

1. Passion Assets Bring Emotional Satisfaction and Fulfilment.

2. Buying Fine Art as an Investment Offers Long-Term Value Appreciation and Stability (the below graphic explains).

 

3. Passion Investing Offers Portfolio Diversification.

4. There is Cultural and Intellectual Value in Investments of Passion. 

Let’s take it a step further. Why is buying art from living artists especially fulfilling?

One writer offers several reasons:

1. Unveiling authenticity: Owning an original piece means possessing a tangible connection to the artist’s creative journey, offering insights and narratives that transcend the boundaries of time and space.

2. Fostering Artistic Growth- Supporting living artists means fueling their passion and enabling them to continue their artistic pursuits. 

3. Cultivating Cultural Diversity- Art is a universal language that transcends cultural barriers, offering a myriad of perspectives and insights into the human experience. By purchasing original artworks from living artists, you contribute to the preservation and celebration of diverse cultural traditions and expressions. 

4. Enhancing Your Living Space- Original artworks have the power to transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary realms of inspiration and beauty. 

5. Investment Value- While the primary motivation for owning a one-of-a-kind painting may be aesthetic or emotional, it’s worth noting that original artworks can also be valuable investments. As artists gain recognition and their careers progress, the value of their work may appreciate over time, offering potential financial returns in addition to the intrinsic value of ownership.

What’s in it for you? “In essence, owning one-of-a-kind paintings is not just about acquiring beautiful objects; it’s about participating in a larger narrative of cultural preservation, historical documentation, and artist legacy. Through their ownership and stewardship of these artworks, individuals become active participants in the ongoing dialogue between past, present, and future, ensuring that the rich tapestry of human creativity endures for generations to come.” 

This appeal is not present in most investments. Or home purchases. Do you get the same satisfaction from your furniture as your art? And, if you spent a fortune on a home or office, doesn’t art increase the emotional and financial perceived value?

If you’re convinced, how should you select which painting to buy? Only you can decide, but here’s some of my criteria:

1. It speaks to me. Promotes emotional, personal empathy. Many of our customers buy a painting because of the connection it makes to them. For example, a painting of a cat might speak to you because you love cats or had one that passed. 

2. Its nature value. If I see a painting that gives me a warm feeling because it depicts something I love as part of nature.

3. I can visualize it on my wall.

4. It is original, unusual, special in its aesthetic and cultural value.

5. It reminds me of an experience that I cherish.

6. I am proud of its one-of-a-kind nature and to show it to all.

7. *I want my home to be a sanctuary of serenity, so my art should enhance that goal.

But what about the price? Again, the painting will never deteriorate or be used up. It can last and have legacy value. And if the price you paid is comfortable for the forever acquisition, everything else is gravy.

Buying direct from the artist adds to its authenticity and appeal.

3. Art x You x Lotus & Michael

So now that you are (hopefully) convinced of the timeless emotional and investment value of art, why buy ours?

Our art is expressed in our garments--Based on our profession in the fashion industry, it came natural that we chose to do garment business; Because of Lotus’ artistic taste and Michael’s market experience as a buyer in the past, we present our garments with sophisticated colors, styles, fabrics, and embroideries. So other than Lotus’ art for hanging on the wall, our garments are art as well, the wearable ones.

It's all one statement- Lotus’ art extends to more than her paintings. And our clothing extends to more than nice stuff to wear. Both are intimately related to why  we do this: Art, clothing, gardening, cooking are all connected to our lifestyle and that is what we share with you.

We want to bring art, or an aesthetic attitude to your daily life so you can enjoy it with us and make your individual statement. Like the end screen of our videos says: “Since we can’t give you a flower from our garden, we embroidered it on our garments. May you always enjoy blooming and fragrant days from Lotus&Michael.” 

This is also true of our art.

Owning our garments or paintings, you share in our Lifestyle- Many of Lotus’ paintings are direct reflections of things that are part of our environment and daily lives, such as Queen of the Night which depicts our plant which took 26 months to bloom and then blessed us with its unique flowers; some of them translate to our embroidery, such as our prunus mumei(plum blossom)  or our beautiful Chrysanthemum; yet others portray one beautiful world with the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, such as Encounter With Beauty.

Speaking of fusion, Lotus’ style is a unique blend of Chinese Water Ink, famous for its detail, and Oil Painting, which takes the liberty of portraying beauty as an impression.

And, each painting is one of a kind.

Most important, we invite our customers to share our sacred principles of preserving our planet in our own small way that gets bigger the more it is shared. Our commitment to plant-dyed clothing and simple, classic garments that are built to last is a clear and tangible reflection of these principles. Both are timeless classics.

So it is all connected and reflected visually in our art, clothing, gardening, and cooking and captured in our videos. We categorically reject the ultraprocessed and convenience world that threatens our health and our planet.

Every painting, every garment has a story and they are all kindred. It is a story that we think needs to be told and learned to make our lives and our planet better for our children.

Surely our clothing and paintings and have their own intrinsic value. But we hope that the value of the story and lifestyle behind them, as well as conscientious quality, give them authenticity which raises their emotional and material value to you.

Take a look; we welcome your comments as well as your purchases! It is our intention to merge our garment and art customers into one community with the same mission statement.

Our store: www.lotusandmichael.com

Lotus Art: https://www.lotusandmichael.com/collections/art

Our lifestyle in video: www.youtube.com/@lotusandmichael

See you there!

 

Walmart steps on the necks of grocery retailers; have they saved us from death by chemicals?

 

What about the others?

10/1/2025 Walmart Press Release:

“BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 1, 2025 — Walmart U.S. today announced it is moving to eliminate synthetic dyes and the use of an additional 30 ingredients, including certain preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes from its private brand food products. This action is a significant step forward in its ongoing mission to provide customers with affordable, high-quality private brand products.

 

The change, which includes all Walmart U.S. food private brands such as Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and bettergoods, is in line with evolving customer preferences and in support of a more transparent food system.” 

The list is long and very specific:

Dyes:

Walmart is eliminating 11 synthetic dyes from private brand foods in the U.S.:

 

• FD&C Blue 1

• FD&C Blue 2

• FD&C Green 3

• FD&C Red 3

• FD&C Red 4

• FD&C Red 40

• FD&C Yellow 5

• FD&C Yellow 6

• FD&C Citrus Red

• FD&C Orange B

• Canthaxanthin 

And other ingredients (holy crap, these were in our food?):

In addition to dyes, Walmart U.S. private brand foods will no longer include 30 other ingredients, such as certain preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes.

 

Ingredients being removed include:

 

• Titanium Dioxide

• Azodicarbonamide

• Dicotyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate (DSS)

• Sucrose Polyester

• Toluene

• Anisole

• Lye

• Morpholine

• Propylene oxide

• Sodium Stearyl Fumarate

• Stearyl tartrate

• Ficin

• Synthetic trans fatty acid

• Butylparaben

• Lactylated Esters of Mon & Diglycerides (OLEON)

• Methylparaben

• Propylparaben

• Calcium Bromate

• Potassium Bromate

• Bromated flour

• Neotame

• Advantame

• Phthalates

• Potassium Bisulfite

• Potassium Nitrate

• Potassium Nitrite

• Simplesse

• Sodium Ferrocyanide (Yellow Prussiate of Soda)

• Sucroglycerides

• Talc

Nice that they are taking these out, and we don’t know how much of them was in their products in the first place, but OMG they are scary to know that they may have been widely consumed. 

For example:

Sucrose Polyester, brand name Olestra, is a fat substitute made from sucrose and vegetable oil. Neither of which are good for you, and both of which can cause adverse effects, if not long term ones. So if I wanted to make a cookie that tasted good and had a lower calorie or fat count, I would use this shit.

Synthetic Trans Fatty Acid: “unhealthy fats created in an industrial process called hydrogenation, which adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them solid and extend their shelf life. This process creates partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), which are found in many processed and fried foods and have been linked to serious health problems, such as increased "bad" cholesterol (LDL), decreased "good" cholesterol (HDL), and higher risks of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.” 

Yummy. It’s not just Walmart. Trans Fatty Acids are commonly found in many mainstay American food products:

  

Bottom line is Walmart, before its competitors, is announcing to the US retail world (Europe is a different kettle of ingredients, as is Asia) that it cares about its customers’ health. That creates a positive association in customers’ minds and, even if Target, Kroger, ShopRite, etc. announces a similar change in coming days/months or ever, it looks like a copycat and its motives, as well as its actions, will be cast into doubt and the zero-sum win will go to Walmart.

Whatever their real motive, Walmart can become the MAHA hero.

But nothing you don’t grow yourself is pure and clean. 

So Walmart made its announcement about its private brands. Which means that if you are intent on killing yourself, go ahead and buy all the Froot Loops you want to. Wouldn’t you think that if Walmart management decided that these certain ingredients are bad for their customers’ health, as they said in their press release, that they would ban items containing these substances from their shelves? They won’t. And we know the reason:

Money/greed. Their business is too big to send their Froot Loops customers, as stupid as they may be, to Target or Shop Rite or Costco.

But before we blame Walmart, we should blame a. the people like Procter & Gamble that put this shit in the food supply in the first place b. The FDA that allowed it and c. most of all, the stupid lazy customers whose only standards were fast, filling and cheap.

Unfortunately, the truth is that shit-free foods like the ones that Walmart will stock in its private brands by 2027 were available in the US Marketplace, some since 2015. 

For example, Aldi. “Aldi US removed certified synthetic colors from all of its exclusive food products in 2015, so Aldi brands have been dye-free for nearly a decade. This decision was made in response to customer feedback, who expressed interest in more natural, plant-based colorings.”

Why? Because they care so much about US consumers’ health? I doubt it. I believe the main reason is that their home base, and most of their stores, are in Europe, which is a much healthier place to live, and which has not allowed this crap in its food for a long time now. Nonetheless, Aldi woke up to MAHA and put this ad on Facebook:

 

Trader Joe’s, which has become a cult favorite in the US, and which has also been owned by a European company since 1979, has a clean bill of health on all its own-branded products (which make up most of its inventory). The company’s FAQ page spells it out.

Whole Foods also makes a similar commitment but takes it a step further. Not only do its private brands avoid the dyes and chemicals that Walmart is banning now, but it claims not to sell other brands’ products if they contain those substances: “These requirements are applicable for Whole Foods' own affordable 365 label and all other products it stocks -- so you can shop with peace of mind, without having to intensely scour ingredients labels.” 

Ever notice that almost all grocery stores, whether a mega-Walmart or Lidl, are arranged with the fresh stuff around the outside, and everything else in the middle? So all you need to do to avoid the crap is shop the outside and buy fresh. Or grow it yourself.

Bottom line is that, if you want to avoid the nasty chemicals that Walmart is now banning in its private label, you don’t have to shop there. Just buy from a store or chain, like Aldi or Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, that has and has had that standard for some time now or for as long as they have existed--or just buy fresh or grow your own. 

Don’t care? As was said in Brooklyn where I grew up, it’s your ass (and maybe your heart and liver and etc.)

Kudos to Walmart for jumping in front of the customer’s face with their announcement and stepping on the necks of those retailers who believe if they give the shit away at a loss or for free, they will get the customer’s dollars, and that makes their shareholders happy. Let’s see where that customer shops in the next five years.

And Kudos to RFK Jr. for upturning the apple cart and making US consumers aware of the fact that they have been slowly poisoned and debilitated by greedy conglomerates, shareholders and the lazy lifestyle they gave in to. Every detail that HHS gives us may not be ironed out, but the intention is there and the message is effective if we get the overall point—as in the 1976 film, Network, and we are "mad as hell and won’t take it (buy it) anymore." And those of us who listen, and act accordingly, will be the better for it. 

Those of us who don’t will feed the medical profession. And the drug suppliers.

Viva la pura vida! Or, better yet, la pura vida nos hara puros (the pure life will make us pure). This is and has always been Lotus & Michael’s lifestyle, which is present in everything we do or make.

Have to end this article now. I need to water my vegetable garden.

 i. Corporate.walmart.com, “https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2025/10/01/walmart-u-s-moves-to-eliminate-synthetic-dyes-across-all-private-brand-food-products”

 ii. Ibid.

 iii. https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+synthetic+trans+fatty+acid&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1032US1032&oq=what+is+synthetic+trans+fatty+acid&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTIxOTg0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=8xHUnc2APorVhM&vssid=l

 iv. Sushruta, https://www.diabetesendocrinology.in/diabetes/why-should-i-bother-about-trans-fat/

 v. Yahoo! Life, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/grocery-store-chain-thats-committed-144000754.html

The Circular Economy Nightmare: Is there a better alternative? (Yes there is)

 

The Circular Economy Nightmare: Is there a better alternative? (Yes there is)

 

Focus: Europe’s EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) Law

Recently, Europe passed a statute which holds producers responsible for the recycling of their clothes, known as the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) law.

What is EPR? “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach that shifts the responsibility of a product’s lifecycle to the producer, including design, take-back, recycling, and final disposal. While variations of EPR now have a worldwide presence, the European Union (EU) was the first to introduce and implement the legislative tool for EPR in Europe.   

And “the EU requires producers to undergo a compliance process. This process includes registering as a producer, following product or packaging design and labeling requirements, reporting on the amount of product or packaging placed on the market, achieving recycling targets, and funding the recycling and/or recovery at end of life.   

Here’s how it looks:

 

So part of your cost as a manufacturer will include a process for collecting and processing goods you already sold. Clearly, these costs will be reflected in the initial pricing of the item, and will go up further if costs increase. 

Once this law goes into effect (as with most laws, it is confusing, but it has been approved and will require compliance: “In September 2025, the European Parliament approved new rules under which EU countries should set up schemes that would make sure producers of clothing, accessories, hats, footwear, blankets, linens, curtains, and optionally mattresses, cover the costs for collecting, sorting, and recycling their products” ) , there probably will be a huge increase in the amount of goods that are turned in. And then what? Then what is not-- bingo! They are recycled.

What is the truth about recycled garments? 

Here’s some real news:

“Textiles collected via clothing containers consist of 55% reusable textiles and an average of 37% suitable for recycling (Boer Group figures). But how much of this is actually recycled? In reality, only 1% of all post-consumer textiles are recycled into new clothing. 12% is downcycled into something of lesser value and 87% of textile waste is pure loss. The amount of clothes that is recycled is thus much lower than the marketing campaigns of the big fast fashion chains would suggest.” 

And, what is never mentioned in all the hoopla about recycling and circularity, salvaging that small percentage that will actually become clothing takes a lot of energy and water; this is never reported.

Also, the fact that gets quietly ignored is that recycling synthetics that will take 200 years to decompose is what? A stay of execution? Recycled polyester is still—polyester. I know there are efforts to “sustainableize” synthetic fibers but we can agree, especially given the huge percentage and tonnage of production that these fibers comprise, it is not something we can depend on, or even consider, in the near future.

But the problem remains the problem.

I had a nightmare about this: I dreamt a person (or a million people) in Europe bought a polyester blouse from some cheap web site. A month later, the seams rip and she dutifully returns it for recycling following the instructions. Then, it goes through the recycling process and out comes the same blouse. Same thing happens again; it is recycled again by the next consumer. And on and on and on a thousand (million) times just like in the movie Groundhog Day; energy is used to make and recycle the blouse, microparticles are leached into the water, and the price, if we calculate all the factors, is in the tens of millions. 

Scared me—does it scare you? 

What are Lotus & Michael’s vision of the textile and clothing world we want? For us, the vision of a world where nature is worshipped in all our pursuits—manufacturing, gardening, cooking, and we don’t create schmutz .

 Natural fibers like cotton and linen as our materials, mother of pearl or stone in our buttons, no plastic in our packaging or shipping. Most important, plant-dyed fabrics that represent real sustainability in that even the dyestuffs are not chemical imitations.

And the garments are built to be multifunctional. One style can be worn on multiple occasions—to work, to garden, to dine out, to hang out at the beach, etc. Classic styling prevents “I’m tired of this,” beautiful, natural colorways are always in style. Last but not least, our embroidery makes for an individual experience. Built to last. And wear—everywhere.

Here's our Snake on a Lake dress at the beach in Sanya, Hainan Island;

 

What does all this have to do with the world of recycling as forced on makers with legislation such as the EPR? Here’s my logic:

Brands, knowing that they will have to pay coming and going for each style they produce, will produce less. What they DON’T produce will be profitable in that it will save them from the reckoning of what goes out must come back.

What will their thought process be (or what should it be)? “We need to produce less, and produce stuff that won’t come back fast, or at all.”

Sound familiar? It should. Sounds like us.

So, in conclusion, the best possible consequence of the EPR will not be its legislated compliance (if it works because it is mandatory, at what cost?), as most think, but in the reimagining of the clothing effort from produce more so customers buy more and sell more, to producing what won’t be back in the company’s hands next month—or even next year.

Just like Lotus & Michael.

Links to see product for yourself: www.lotusandmichael.com  and our lifestyle story on Youtube: www.youtube.com@lotusandmichael 

 

 Sourceintelligence.com, 4/7/2025, “What are the EPR regulations in the EU?” https://blog.sourceintelligence.com/what-are-the-epr-directives-in-the-eu

  Ibid.

  European Parliament, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/fast-fashion-eu-laws-for-sustainable-textile-consumption#:~:text=In%20September%202025%2C%20the%20European,sorting%2C%20and%20recycling%20their%20products.

  Cosh.eco, 8/27/2021, “How does textile recycling work?” https://cosh.eco/en/articles/how-to-recycle-second-hand-clothing#:~:text=But%20how%20much%20of%20this%20is%20actually,87%25%20of%20textile%20waste%20is%20pure%20loss.

  Oxford Languages Dictionary, “Schmutz,” https://www.google.com/search?q=schmutz+definition&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1032US1032&oq=schmutz+definition&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDU5MjFqMGo3qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Target vs. Walmart (and everybody else): Is mass market retailing a zero-sum game?

 

Target vs. Walmart (and everybody else): Is mass market retailing a zero-sum game?

There have been more than enough experts who have analyzed the reason for Target’s fall from consumer grace, so let’s let that be. What do I have to add to the conversation?

 It is this: The most important issue for Target now is quo vadis—where are you going?

Why is this question more critical than the specifics of the turnaround the board and shareholders are expecting? 

The numbers show that there has been a gaping hole created between Target and Walmart; in addition, its performance has gone in the opposite direction of mass market retailers Costco and Amazon. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers:

First, Target sales growth:

 

Next, Walmart sales growth:

 

Let’s add a look at Amazon:

 

And Costco:

 

So you can see that all performance and projections are positive, except for Target. 

The percentages also belie the magnitude of the gap because Target is smaller than the other three, especially Walmart. Comparable sales outlooks for 2025 are Walmart's revenue around $681 billion compared to Target's approximately $106.38 billion (based on projections from early 2025. ) Since the customer is spending 6x the money at Walmart, every dollar of lost sales for Target is potentially six times as devastating.

There’s more bad news for Target. What is the customer mainly purchasing at Walmart vs. at Target? Here’s some category segment charts to show us:

 

Note above that the number one category for sales at Walmart is Grocery at 59.7% of total. Which means that the customer is spending $406 billion on Grocery at Walmart, which is 4 times Target’s total volume, and much more than the $24 billion spent at Target. So, since we know that consumers make purchase decisions to solve problems, and that the biggest problem is eating, Walmart is attracting many more customers on essential shopping trips. To what degree are those Target customers freely switching?

The mix of categories looks like Target is offering much more variety than Walmart. Maybe. But is that reason enough to make a separate visit to Target? And Walmart’s “General Merchandise” category is worth $168 billion, again more than Target’s entire revenue. And the apparel business , much of which is private brands, that earned Target the nickname “Tarzhay” generate only $16.7 billion. Worth a trip to Target?

Which brings us to the main question: To what degree is the consumer’s choice of mass merchants a zero-sum game? 

This question is even more relevant considering the fact that Walmart has paid maximum attention to its online D2C business and introduced Walmart+ to compete with Prime? The numbers show that the consumer has responded to Walmart’s online presence in a big way: “Walmart's global e-commerce grew by 25% in Q2 2025, while Target's digital sales grew by 4.3%.”  So the consumer is telling us that they have even less reason to go to a Target, which has been much less aggressive developing its online business.

Speaking of online, there is Amazon. Oops. Amazon knows that their Achilles Heel now is physical shopping, which they are working to solve to an extent more than we know. Nonetheless, what will that do to visits to Target?

And let us not forget Costco. 36 week 2025 revenues were $185.48 billion, up 8.2% YOY. Online sales were 17.2% of that total, or $32 billion. 

Speaking of private label, Costco has made its Kirkland brand, available since 2009, annual sales 30% of their total, which in 2024 amounted to $74.6 billion . As a separate brand, Kirkland is bigger than most retailers and many brands. This signifies a serious vote of confidence and trust on the part of consumers. Now, try to remember a Target private brand that rings a bell. Find any?

Back to my original question—to what degree is mass retail a zero-sum game? IF the customer is satisfied with the quality and price of what she purchases at Walmart-or Amazon-or Costco, what will attract her to spend extra time shopping at Target? If she is happy with her purchases, and with the selection she finds when she shops, why spend the time to go anywhere else? With the three mega-retailers cited here to compete with, how much chance does Target have to get her to spend time at their store instead of the others?

So the big question for me, and for new CEO Michael Fiddelke, comes to more than store appearance and stocking or DEI policy. Of course, those are prerequisites for successful retailing, but they will not be enough to get the customer to spend their time at Target instead of Walmart, Costco or Amazon.

I agree with Steve Dennis’ statement in a recent article, “Can Target Regain Its Mojo?” that “In this situation, better execution and fixing the leaky bucket of customer defection is absolutely necessary, but far from sufficient. Target needs big change--a fairly radical rethink--not what I refer to in Leaders Leap as ‘infinite incrementalism.’” 

Target has lost the customer’s attention to a significant degree. If you agree with me that mega-mass market retailing is to a great degree a zero-sum game, then Target needs to, after it has solved its internal problems, bid for the attention of the millions of customers it clearly has lost—that means the goal should be stopping at Target instead of the others. The competition is tough and getting tougher every day. What efforts do you think Target has to make to take customers away from the three retailers mentioned here as well as up-and-comers like Aldi and its Trader Joe’s?

What should be the plan, Target? Do you keep what’s best, your brand equity, and reinvent yourself, so consumers have a reason to shop? Straightening the tables and filling shelves won’t be enough. Check your ego at the door and do some real critical reflection on quo vadis.

A logical afterthought- could there be an upcoming marriage between Amazon and Target?