Ban harmful chemicals in the USA and stop the GRAS process for approving food
Ban harmful chemicals in the USA and stop the GRAS process for approving food
The Issue
The United States has only banned 11 out of thousands of harmful chemicals and additives in food. Dough Conditioners such as Azodicarbonamide and Potassium Bromite. Potassium Bromite is known to cause cancers in the thyroid and the kidneys. Azodicarbonamide increases risk of Asthma and skin problems. BHA and BHT are man made Antioxidants. They are used in cereal and dry mixes to improve their shelf life. BHA and BHT lead to disease by affecting the functions of hormones. Carrageenan is an emulsifier, stabilizer, or thickener in foods. It is extracted from red seaweed and can be found in dairy products and some meat products. How many of these ingredients do you think are allowed in the United States? All of them. Most of these ingredients are banned in the European Union and some even in China!
The FDA also came up with a system to approve foods. It is called the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) System. The GRAS system does not require FDA approval as long as “The substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe…” Many “experts” have financial ties to the chemical industries. Also, most GRAS approved chemicals never had long term testing on humans so they can’t be proven to be 100% safe. Surprisingly, companies are even allowed to hide their results from the FDA. An example of harmful ingredients approved through the GRAS system are Trans Fats. Trans Fats were approved, but later found to cause 500,000 deaths per year from heart disease. If we don’t do anything about this people will continue getting sick. Companies will make worse chemicals and they will find ways to approve them. We can stop this from happening with this petition. Every signature matters.
Bibliography
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/banned-ingredients-in-other-countries/amp/
https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/american-foods-banned-other-countries
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/carrageenan
https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/gras-hidden-ingredients-in-your-food/?scrlybrkr=093b14a5
https://www.ovenfreshdelivery.com/blogs/news/dough-conditioners-why-you-should-look-out-for-them
Image Credit:
153
The Issue
The United States has only banned 11 out of thousands of harmful chemicals and additives in food. Dough Conditioners such as Azodicarbonamide and Potassium Bromite. Potassium Bromite is known to cause cancers in the thyroid and the kidneys. Azodicarbonamide increases risk of Asthma and skin problems. BHA and BHT are man made Antioxidants. They are used in cereal and dry mixes to improve their shelf life. BHA and BHT lead to disease by affecting the functions of hormones. Carrageenan is an emulsifier, stabilizer, or thickener in foods. It is extracted from red seaweed and can be found in dairy products and some meat products. How many of these ingredients do you think are allowed in the United States? All of them. Most of these ingredients are banned in the European Union and some even in China!
The FDA also came up with a system to approve foods. It is called the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) System. The GRAS system does not require FDA approval as long as “The substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe…” Many “experts” have financial ties to the chemical industries. Also, most GRAS approved chemicals never had long term testing on humans so they can’t be proven to be 100% safe. Surprisingly, companies are even allowed to hide their results from the FDA. An example of harmful ingredients approved through the GRAS system are Trans Fats. Trans Fats were approved, but later found to cause 500,000 deaths per year from heart disease. If we don’t do anything about this people will continue getting sick. Companies will make worse chemicals and they will find ways to approve them. We can stop this from happening with this petition. Every signature matters.
Bibliography
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/banned-ingredients-in-other-countries/amp/
https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/american-foods-banned-other-countries
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/carrageenan
https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/gras-hidden-ingredients-in-your-food/?scrlybrkr=093b14a5
https://www.ovenfreshdelivery.com/blogs/news/dough-conditioners-why-you-should-look-out-for-them
Image Credit:
153
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Petition created on February 24, 2023