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FDA Admits it Allows Untested Food Additives to be Sold to Consumers
For those of you who believe that our government has our best interests at heart and that they would never consider allowing something dangerous or unknown to be sold and consumed by the general public, especially not our children, you are in for quite a shock.
For at least the last 50 years, those in the food industry have not been required to give information to consumers or the FDA ( the Food and Drug Administration) about the chemicals or the safety records of the chemicals, that go into the food people eat. Manufacturers have taken advantage of our non-functioning system that does not force manufacturers to disclose what is in their foods, is beleaguered by conflicts of interest, and has a very weak record of keeping track and testing something as important as food.
The Washington Post reported that in hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of cases, the Food and Drug administration has absolutely no knowledge of some of the newest additives, which include chemical preservatives, compounds for thickening products, and artificial flavorings.
The deputy commissioner for the FDA, Michael Taylor, gave an interview to the Washington Post and said that they did not have the information in order to say whether or not some of these chemicals and additives were safe. Read more about dangers of aspartame.
Even though the FDA has received thousands of complaints in the past years about these untested additives, stating that these substances triggered asthma attacks, intestinal tract problems, and intense vomiting, to name a few.
Companies are adding secret and previously unknown ingredients to every kind of food you can imagine, at an unheard of rate. It’s a virtual free for all! Perhaps the main concern among individuals concerned with food safety, is the increasing manner in which companies choose the quickest certification process. This was never what was actually intended when this program was created 17 years ago to help businesses get quicker approval.
SEE ALSO: What Exactly is MSG and Why is it so Bad for You?
Once upon a time, there was a much more formal, but more time consuming, review process in place where the FDA themselves, not the companies, made the determination that offered foods and additives were safe for consumers. This has been replaced by an almost entirely voluntary certification program. Sounds an awful lot like hiring a thief to guard the cash box. Consumers now have no way of knowing for certain if the food products they are buying are safe or not.
Although it’s true that things have changed considerably since the FDA was created. There were only about 800 food additives when the FDA was formed, there are now more than 9,000, everything from salt to green tea extracts.
Manufacturers will tell you that the increase in food additives is due to public demand. Almost half of all meals consumed come from processed foods. Unfortunately, some of these food additives can be harmful to humans. There are common food additives that are in foods mainly eaten by children that have been linked to hyperactivity.
Even some top officials at the FDA admit that there should be some new plan implemented to make companies give a better account of any new food additives that they want to add to the food supply. One group, The Center for Food Safety, has filed a lawsuit against the FDA this year, stating that the agency has completely abdicated its role as a protector and an overseer.
The FDA has “approved” more than 70,000 food additives. Everything from artificial ingredients to GMO’s to those they call GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). This is an interesting dilemma. How can the FDA state that some is GRAS but it hasn’t actually been tested at the same time? Manufacturers will tell you that some of the “chemicals” they are using are natural and that people have been eating them for hundreds of years, even though their idea is “natural” are simply highly refined compounds from a natural source. Arsenic is also “natural”, is it not?
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This exemption of additives from scrutiny via the GRAS definition means that the FDA is not protecting the health of the American public. How can the FDA ensure the safety of our food supply if it doesn’t even know exactly what is in our food?
Our personal care products and cosmetics are no better; they have virtually no regulation as to what manufacturers put in them. Remember that your skin will absorb almost everything that you put on it, which means these unknown and possibly dangerous chemicals go from your skin to your bloodstream.
Every American should be outraged and demand that the FDA require the food industry to demonstrate that the chemicals that are in our food are safe.
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