Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased Honeyville Food Products' Powdered Egg Whites for many years directly from Honeyville Farms. During that time, the ingredient labels on the cans have always stated: "Ingredients: Powdered Egg Whites" and nothing else. I will say that I love this product. Even cooked in butter as scrambled eggs with just a little salt, it tastes like whole fresh eggs to me. Definitely no offensive odor or taste. Eariler this week I was going to purchase another can when I happened to look at the ingredients listed on their Web site -- "Ingredients: Egg Whites, less than 0.1% sodium lauryl sulfate (added as a whipping aid)". This came as a great surprise to me, I thought they had started using SLS as an additive. I decided to do some research and couldn't find anything about SLS except that it is used in soaps, shampoos and toothpastes. Nowhere was there a mention of it being in food. I went so far as to question the FDA. Yesterday I wrote the following e-mail to the Director of E-Commerce of Honeyville Food Products, Inc. and received a reply today: "I have purchased your powdered egg whites for a number of years and have been extremely happy with them. I also purchase some of your other products that do not contain additives or preservatives... I am very unhappy to see that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate has been added (to your powdered egg whites). Although this additive is approved by the FDA, I see little use for it to be in an egg product. I realize SLS has been used for many years in soaps, shampoos and other products that are expected, by the general public, to foam. But, these are products that are used externally and then rinsed off. Even then, SLS is an irritant to some people. I also realize that the FDA requires SLS to be used in lesser amounts where foods are concerned, but when using a product daily as I do the powdered egg whites (for smoothies) I worry about the build-up over time. The only possibility I can see why this additive is being used is because of meringue. I made meringues numerous times with your egg whites and they have always come out high and beautiful -- there was never a need for SLS". Following is the reply I received today: "I'm sorry to hear that we've lost you as an Egg White customer. Our Egg Whites have always had the small amount of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate as a whipping aid. When Egg Whites are pasteurized they lose the whipping characteristics that fresh egg whites have. I appreciate the feedback and will weigh it against that of the customers that need the Egg Whites to whip up. Thanks and have a great day. Regards, Chris Ondatje Director of E-Commerce Honeyville Food Products, Inc. [...] chriso@honeyvillegrain.com (888) 810-3212 ext. 1001" Well, now I know why my meringues turned out so beautiful -- because of a surfactant used in what I thought was a simple and pure product. I don't want to vilify SLS, I'm just looking for honesty in marketing so I can make a choice. I gave this review only one star because I was not given that choice.