Over 10,000 chemicals used in food manufacturing
By Sari Huhtala
That little packet of powdered gravy mix, or that gorgeous rainbow-coloured grocery store birthday cake may seem harmless, but, considering there are more than 10,000 chemical food additives allowed in our food supply, one might contemplate scrapping the process foods altogether, and going back to our great grandmother’s way of cooking meals.
Between 2010 to 2013 Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit, non-government organization developed in the 1940s to improve public policy, organized a comprehensive review of the FDA’s food additives regulatory program. After publishing six reports in peer-reviewed journals, they concluded it is impossible to ensure the safety of 10,000 plus chemicals allowed in the food manufacturing process.
According to the report, the FDA laws are outdated, and contain serious flaws. The FDA allows manufacturers to self-determine if a “common food ingredient” or additive falls under the “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” category, and demands no obligation for the manufacturer to inform the FDA on any decisions made for GRAS food additives. Consequently, by 2013 over 1,000 chemicals deemed as GRAS were being used by the food industry without any notification to the FDA.
In addition, the FDA doesn’t have the authority to effectively obtain information on chemicals already in use by the food manufacturing industry to reassess their safety.
One need only think about how the FDA hailed DDT as a “miracle” pesticide to control mosquitos and insect-borne illness, considering it safe in the food supply of up to seven parts per million in food. This “miracle” pesticide was sprayed everywhere between 1945 and 1972, until it was finally banned. I even know of someone who remembers running through the mist of DDT being sprayed in their yard. Large trucks would come and spray entire towns. Kids would get excited and chase the trucks to run through the fog. She later developed cancer. Could it have been the “miracle” chemical DDT?
Just in food packaging and processing alone, there are over 1800 “food contact chemicals” that can migrate into the food supply, and many haven’t been tested for their safety, according to a study published in the journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
The bottom line is. If the health of your children, and the health of your family is a priority, then scrapping processed food from the diet is a step in the right direction. Is it time to turn your kitchen into a healing laboratory? Just a bit of food for thought.
Photo credit: © chuanchai pundej via Canva.com
Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007. She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshop, and My Farmacy workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Reach her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca
