Thoughts of outrage, unfairness, disbelief, and ultimately grief consumed me while I was doing this investigation. A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use here in the American food supply recently made news. While I have written about some of those ingredients before, this list inspired me to look a little deeper and find out how pervasive this issue is for us. Could these banned ingredients be contributing to the higher mortality and disease rates here in the U.S.?
The health of Americans is downright grim according to a report just released by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. It declares “Americans are sicker and die younger than other people in wealthy nations.” The United States spends 2.5 times more on health care than any other nation, however, when compared with 16 other nations we come in dead last in terms of health and life expectancy for men and near the bottom for women.
Here is the breakdown for you:
- More than two thirds of United States citizens are overweight – 33% being obese.
- 32% of children are either obese or overweight.
- 43% of Americans are projected to be obese in 10 years.
- After smoking, obesity is America’s biggest cause of premature death and is linked to 70% of heart disease and 80% of diabetes cases.
- And 41% of Americans are projected to get cancer in their lifetime!
These reports and statistics scream the word HELP!
Recently, I spent some time down in Mississippi volunteering in the most obese county in the nation. I found that while social and economic factors do play a part in this epidemic, the main culprit was the lack of nutrition education. The victims of obesity are likely the same victims of systematic brainwashing from Big Food marketers, relying on diet soda, low fat products, or looking only at calories on product labels. Basically, they are doing what the food industry has been teaching them about losing weight versus finding out the truth about real food.
And that’s the problem – the food industry is the one leading our conversation in this country about food and nutrition, educating the mass public about what to eat and what not to eat. Coca-Cola recently even went as far as creating a special campaign to combat obesity – yes you read that right – a sugar filled soda company trying to stop obesity. (You can read my reaction to that here).
Unfortunately, the doctors in this country are not exactly leading the discussion either, since nutrition is not currently a focus in medical school. And the government has their hands tied by big food industry and chemical company lobbyists that basically control what the FDA approves, deems safe for human consumption, and our overall food policy.
So who is going to finally tell us the truth about our food?
The food industry does not want us to pay attention to the ingredients nor do they care about the negative effects from eating them. They certainly don’t care about the astronomical medical bills that are a direct result of us eating the inferior food they are creating.
The HELP we need starts here. We as a collective nation must stop this trajectory of sickness and rising health care costs, by understanding the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. We must challenge the U.S. food industry to discontinue the use of banned ingredients that are not allowed elsewhere in the world. We deserve to have the same quality food without potential toxins.
Food is medicine, and plain and simple, if our food is sick (filled with GMO’s, chemicals, additives, artificial ingredients, and/or carcinogens), collectively we as a country are going to continue to be sick.
Using banned ingredients that other countries have determined unsafe for human consumption has become a pandemic in this country. To prove this point, I found the best and easiest place to look for evidence was just across “the pond” in the United Kingdom, where they enjoy some of the same types of products we do – but with totally different ingredient lists.
It is appalling to witness the examples I am about to share with you. The U.S. food corporations are unnecessarily feeding us chemicals – while leaving out almost all questionable ingredients in our friends’ products overseas. The point is the food industry has already formulated safer, better products, but they are voluntarily only selling inferior versions of these products here in America. The evidence of this runs the gamut from fast food places to boxed cake mix to cereal to candy and even oatmeal – you can’t escape it.
Some of the key American brands that are participating in this deception are McDonald’s, Pringles (owned by Kellogg’s), Pizza Hut and Quaker (owned by Pepsi), Betty Crocker (owned by General Mills), Starburst (owned by M&M/Mars), and Ritz Crackers (owned by Kraft). In the examples below, red text indicates potentially harmful ingredients and/or ingredients likely to contain GMOs.
Having a pre-made box of flour, baking soda and sugar all ready to go saves time for some people when it comes to making a cake, but does saving time have to come at the expense of chemically derived and potentially toxic ingredients?
The United States version of Betty Crocker Red Velvet cake not only has artificial colors linked to hyperactivity in children, food cravings, and obesity, but it also has partially hydrogenated oils (a.k.a. trans fat). Trans fat has been shown to be deadly even in small amounts. “Previous trials have linked even a 40-calorie-per-day increase in trans fat intake to a 23% higher risk of heart disease.” This could easily be the amount of trans fat in one serving of Betty Crocker icing alone.
Sodium benzoate is an ingredient that Coca-Cola actually removed in their Diet Coke product overseas, but you’ll still find it in their product Sprite, cake mixes and loads of other products across the USA. The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children. Also, when sodium benzoate combines with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), it can form benzene, a carcinogen that damages DNA in cells and accelerates aging.
Fast Food giants like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are just as guilty as General Mills’ Betty Crocker.
Look closely at the ingredients in McDonald’s french fries above. Do you see how the french fries in the U.K. version are basically just potatoes, vegetable oil, a little sugar and salt? How can McDonald’s make french fries with such an uncomplicated list of ingredients all over Europe, but not over here? Why do McDonald’s french fries in the U.S. have to have TBHQ, trans fat and “anti-foaming” agents? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last time I checked – I didn’t think Americans liked foam with their fries either!
The anti-foaming agent – dimethylpolysiloxane – is a type of silicone used in caulks and sealants and as a filler for breast implants. It’s also the key ingredient in silly putty.
Thanks FDA for allowing companies to put silly putty in our french fries. Seriously – this is out of control.
McDonalds Strawberry Sauce in the United States includes high fructose corn syrup, red #40 and sodium benzoate, while the citizens of the U.K. get off scot-free. Instead, they get 37% real strawberries in their product and no additional flavoring or harmful preservatives.
Pizza Hut does a huge disservice to us (and their workers) by using Azodicarbonamide in their garlic cheese bread. This ingredient is banned as a food additive in the U.K., Europe, and Australia, and if you get caught using it in Singapore you can get up to 15 years in prison and be fined $450,000. The U.K. has recognized this ingredient as a potential cause of asthma if inhaled, and advises against its use in people who have sensitivity to food dye allergies and other common allergies in food, because azodicarbonamide can exacerbate the symptoms. However, Pizza Hut and many other fast food chains like Subway and Starbucks use this ingredient in their U.S. bread products.
Natural and artificial flavors and hidden MSG (in the form of autolyzed yeast extract, in this case) are commonly found throughout products in America but not elsewhere. Junk food companies intentionally add this combination of ingredients to create sensory overload by exciting your brain cells to remember the food you are eating and make less nutritious ingredients taste better to you.
I’m not saying that the food industry has completely eliminated these same tricks abroad – but when you look at the U.K. version of garlic cheese bread, the ingredients look pretty basic. Many of the ingredients you could use at home to make garlic bread. I’ve never found TBHQ in the baking aisle at the grocery store, have you? TBHQ, by the way, is a preservative derived from petroleum and used in perfumes, resins, varnishes and oil field chemicals. Laboratory studies have linked TBHQ to stomach tumors. This preservative is also used by Chick-Fil-A in their famous chicken sandwiches.
Reviewing the ingredients in Pringles really got me worked up… ever wonder why you can’t stop eating chips after having just one? MSG is the culprit – and in the U.S. version of Pringles, it’s added twice! Once in its known name and again in a hidden source, called “yeast extract.”
This begs the question “Why are Americans so addicted to processed food?!” The food industry has designed it that way on purpose to line their pockets with profits, at the expense of our health.
The U.K. Ritz Crackers ingredient list resembles items that you’d find in every household around the country – but the United States version goes the extra mile to include trans fat, HFCS and natural flavor. Natural flavor can be also be a hidden form of MSG, which, again, is an additive that will likely make you eat more than you would otherwise.
In the United States, Quaker Oats has several different flavors of oatmeal that contain different fruit flavored, artificially dyed pieces of dehydrated apple but that don’t actually contain any of the fruit shown on the package. But in the U.K. – they don’t even attempt to sell that garbage. They instead have a product called “Oats so Simple” that actually has REAL strawberries in it – light years ahead of our version that includes trans fat, artificial food coloring, and artificial flavors.
There’s only one difference in Rice Krispies between the U.S. and U.K. version – but it’s a big difference. It’s one ingredient that is banned virtually in every other country, except here in the United States. That ingredient is called BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) or BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and is a very common preservative used rampantly throughout packaged food in the U.S.
Test studies published by the IPCS (International Program for Chemical Safety) “show tissue inflammation, enlargement, and/or growths in 100%, and cancer in 35% of [animal] subjects” as reported in this article. How can the U.S. allow this chemical in our food – much less in cereal aimed and targeted at our kids?
And speaking of targeting our kids – food companies have found a way to naturally color candy all over Europe, but our candy here is still full of artificial substances made from petroleum and GMO sugar. Looking at the ingredients in Starburst Fruit Chews provides a great example of this disgrace.
I saved the most startling fact for last. One very cautionary set of ingredients that are included in almost all of the American products but not the U.K. products are GMO’s, in the form of either corn or soy.
There have been no long term human studies on GMOs and preliminary studies on animals show horrific consequences. For instance, a study showed GMOs caused toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. Another study revealed that female rats fed GMO soy for 15 months showed significant health issues in their uterus and reproductive cycle, compared to rats fed organic soy or those raised without soy. A 2009 French Study concluded that Glyphosate (used on GMO soy) can kill the cells in the outer layer of the human placenta, the organ that connects the mother to her fetus, providing nutrients and oxygen and emptying waste products. A Russian study conducted on hamsters that were fed GMO soy diets for two years over three generations found that by the third generation, most of the hamsters lost the ability to have babies, showed slower growth, and suffered a higher mortality rate.
In the U.K. food companies are required by law to list if a certain ingredient is derived from a genetically modified or genetically engineered material on the label. Out of all the products I researched, I couldn’t find one product with this label. (See example from GMO-Compass and BBC above of what it would look like if I did.)
This was very telling considering that not only have food companies taken out all sorts of hazardous chemical ingredients abroad – but they also have willingly reformulated their products without GMOs.
Food corporations in the U.S. claim reformulating their products to remove harmful ingredients or changing labels would be too expensive – but they’ve already done just that in Europe and in many other countries. Their governments listened to the outrage of their people and took the safety of their citizens’ health above everything else. Is it too much to ask the same for us in the United States of America? How much do our sickness, obesity, and mortality rates have to worsen before they respond to us?
I will leave you with this note: is and I are very disturbed about the shameful hypocrisy allowed to happen with our food supply here in the U.S. In fact we are feeling very compelled to do something about it. Stay tuned, because we are going to need every one of you to help when we are ready. In the meantime, I hope you’ll share this article (you can use the green ShareThis button below).
March 5th Update: I have started a petition – please sign and share it now. Together we can make a change.
Food Babe, I have an unrelated question that I am trying to find an answer to:
The dispersents used in the Gulf oil spill…do they evaporate in the cycle of sun, clouds and rain, and then are dropped as rain onto lands nearby…do they evaporate with water droplets in that process…
Can you direct me somewhere? Thank you…
Great post, btw…and good on you for the petition, Posted in on FB.
I entered my web site in the website box and it keeps asking me for the url…?
If my memory serves me right…In physical science class, we learned that water evaporates and leaves behind all the additives that were added to it. Example: If you make a glass fruit drink by adding sugar, artificial color, and say strawberry flavor and you evaporated it, it would be regular water and all the additives would be left behind. Hopefully the same would happen with possible dangerous chemicals.
Thank you!!!!
Dispersants listed here:
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/06/09/09greenwire-ingredients-of-controversial-dispersants-used-42891.html
Basically they poured paint thinner and anti-freeze into the gulf. Yeah, I know, smart move, right? The ocean floor sprays out vast amounts of oil every day, but rather than let our small addition in the Gulf be naturally eaten by indigenous microbes, we made the problem much much worse. Why am I not surprised? After all, the government showed up to help…! 🙁
From what I understand, the dispersal used caused the oil on the surface to sink so the question may not have an answer. In this case the petroleum on the surface was attracted and sank to sit on the bottom and cause problems with the bottom feeders.
If enough of us boycotted these companies maybe they would decide to afford us the safer ingredients that Europe demands. I don’t eat at any of the above anyway due to their ingredients.
I find the ingredient list comparisons so interesting. But wonder what “vegetable fat” the UK is using? Could that be shortening?
I found a lot of the ingredients in the comparable lists to be vague. For example, US product uses high fructose corn syrup and UK product uses syrup. Are we sure the difference is in the product and not just the label based on differing disclosure laws?
A statement that talk show host Bill Maher said the other days seems appropriate. “Syrian President Assad crossed the red line. He used chemical weapons. Using harmful weapons to hurt your own people-who does he think he is..Monsanto”
Yes, good analogy… Here the food industry is using chemical weapon with every bite we take.
I agree lazetica, it’s a shame that we have to sound the alarm about this when companies continue to poison us and our children.
Thanks for sharing that great line by him.
Holy Toledo Batman! Thanks for putting this together Vani. I have two young kids and I constantly worry about our health and diet. We try and eat all local organic foods but it’s inevitable that they end up eating all these toxens (School, quick snack, friends house).
Equally as bad as what our government allows in food is how they allow the foods to be advertised. “natural” “organic” etc. It’s a joke how manipulated these terms are.
I run an organic skin care store and we are constantly challenged with reviewing the ingredients of each product we sell. All our products are Organic, most of which are actually certified organic but even then some of these companies try to squeeze in known carcinogens.
Thanks,
Brian
Thank you so much for this fabulous research and information. I can’t wait to share with my clients.
And it makes one wonder WHY the food companies do this, WHY the FDA doesn’t stop them, and WHY the government doesn’t police their own consumer watchdog (the FDA)? But most of us have a pretty good idea of why this is happening. What really concerns me is that the government food programs such as Food Stamps and WIC will not allow ORGANIC or healthy foods to be purchased; the only allowable foods are those that contribute to obesity and extreme toxicity and and in most cases, death. Again…WHY?
I asked the WIC office to remove most of the foods on my vouchers. When they asked me why I explained that they were basically poison. They made me wait to see the nutritionist and to my surprise she not only removed them from my vouchers, she commended me for my awareness and explained that the staff in the office hesitated because I was the first parent to ever show concern with the foods they provide.
That’s great Amanda. Unfortunately, the WIC office here in Tallahassee, Florida where I live wasn’t so kind to my daughter who was receiving WIC vouchers for her son. In fact, when it was suggested that she speak with the nutritionist (as in your case) and she told them the same thing you did, the nutritionist told her that she was wrong, that there was nothing wrong with the approved food list, and that she either had to accept and use the vouchers as prescribed (so to speak) or not use them at all. To my knowledge, the approved food list for the WIC vouchers still contains the same toxic substances now as it did then.
I’ve been back to speak with her since then and spent hours with her going over nutrition info. Prior to our meeting I received milk, bread or rice, cheese, beans, eggs, juice, & $10 for fruit or veg. No organic allowed. Now all I get is beans, juice, and the $10 for produce. She told me Pres Obama is trying to pass a law that would prohibit food stamp recipients from buying anything organic, grass fed, free range, or locally grown. It’s a sad day when even our president is in favor of poisoning our children
I totally agree. Especially when the first lady has her own organic garden at the White House.
Only Congress can pass a law, the President has little say in the matter as laws can be passed by overriding his approval. Obama can only “request” a law, just like you and I, and corporations (what?) and nothing more.
Read up on US Government and how it works, and you’ll find the big issue is with Congress, and with cronyism between government and private businesses.
I don’t believe President Obama is against us eating healthy. I wouldn’t believe everything people say…because they will say anything if they don’t like the President.
well that’s a simple question…it all comes down to money, it’s all about greed.
There is much of which many are not aware. Beliefs are not relevant when it comes to reality. There is much occurring behind the scenes of which many are not aware. This is one of the reasons it’s taken the Public so long to learn that food companies, through the auspices of such governmental departments as the FDA, have been mandating the use of toxic substances in our foods and personal products. It’s gone way past greed. Greed is actually just a cover. But the reality of this will not be recognized until enough of the Public gets together and demands not only that these toxic and/or offensive substances (like beaver-butt) be taken out of our foods, but to know the truth of the scope of what is actually occurring.
It is very sad that the American Greed is so real that the corporations dont care on killing people or make them sick as long as they have profits. What is the point to make everything so artificial and harmful, is it cheaper? I dont see the point. I believe that if you product taste good and it is good quality people will re-buy it. They dont have to make people addictive to have a business and become millionaire like many of these corporations are. I totally agree that the government must create laws to protect people from these “rats”
Oh my word. I reposted this today. I hope it inspires more of us to become Food Patriots on this very important day. Thank you Food BABE!!!!
Interesting. I wonder where Canada fits into the picture. I have seen cereal packages here with BHA/BHT “added to packaging materials to maintain freshness.”
I’m Canadian and I just checked my box of rice kripies and BHT was listed!!!
I’m not impressed!!
Cereal is processed! Stop eating it. It is not a healthy choice! Just convienient!
Food Babe I greatly appreciate all of your vital information about health, wellness and the major food industry. I will definitely recommend to people your website. I discovered you by accident on facebook. I will defdinitely be purchasing products from your site soon. I love your veracity about nutrition.
You’d be surprised how easy it is to boycott the whole shebang by not having ANY processed food in your house….done!! Time to get back to eating chemical-free like our ancestors.
WHY NOT TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN & BUY A CHICKEN OR TWO FOR FRESH ORGANIC EGGS! NOT HAND OUT FREE FOOD STAMPS, THAT THEY CAN BUY WHATEVER!! COOKING CLASSES FOR MOM’S ON A BUDGET, WOULD BE GRAND AS WELL!!
It’s great to see so many have read this blog and cared enough to respond with concern.
I always believed that welfare mothers should be made to attend healthy cooking classes (even better would be if proper nutrition was taught in high school with that course being made a compulsory one in order to graduate). Too many mothers simply don’t know the first thing about making a pot of nourishing soup from scratch….sad.
This is horrifying. Sad part is a lot of these foods are fed to children and childhood cancer is on the rise. I don’t understand why this crap is allowed near our food, much less in it? I have seen what this kind of crap did for my daughter (before I was educated). She acted uncoordinated, confused, hyper at times, and autistic at others. Now she is a completely different child after changing her diet. I wonder what it will take to see a change?
I appreciate all the helpful nutritional information, and advice about how to avoid toxic products that Food Babe disseminates. I am just a bit surprised, however, that I have not found any cautions about eating rice grown in the U.S., and especially brown rice, as it has been found that this grain is contaminated with levels of arsenic which are dangerous to human health. I love rice but have stopped eating it because there has been no significant reduction in the amounts of arsenic in rice that has been tested and reported on by the FDA and Consumer Union. I have noticed that FoodBabe often features recipes which contain a lot of rice, and the recent article on best protein powders features products which have brown rice as a significant source of protein. (Unfortunately, brown rice has higher levels of arsenic than white rice.) If one uses these products every day, this could be a health concern. The current recommendation by the FDA for rice consumption is two servings per week for adults in order to minimize arsenic in the diet. Is this issue something that Food Babe might look into since her emphasis is often on nutritional investigations?
Another example of ingredient differences between the US and the UK is Kit Kat chocolate candy bars, made by Nestle. These include the dark chocolate ones. I wrote to the company and asked them why they don’t sell the ‘cleaner’ UK ones in the US. No response from them.
Right on, Food Babe 🙂
Just to be fair, I believe I’ve read somewhere that SOME of those trace ingredients lower down on the labels are not REQUIRED to be listed overseas like they are here, so they may still be in there. Anyone?
Hi,
I wanted to forward some of the interesting stuff of your page but there is no tab at the bottom.Thanks.Mahfuz
I wonder what would happen if McDonalds did NOT use an antifoaming agent. What would happen if they just took the cut potatoes, fried them in the oil, and salted them. IF they just took out all those other things. Would they taste terrible? Would they be less addictive to some?
Always follow the money. The FDA is allowing cancer causing ingredients because cancer is a huge part of our national economy. If cancer was eradicated, world markets would crash. There is a lot more to be enraged about than meets the eye.
Thank you so much for informing us Food Babe!
I DO BELIEVE THAT OUR GOVERMENT & MEDICAL FIELD, ALREADY KNOW THE CURE FOR CANCER, BUT ACTUALLY DO NOT WANT US TO KNOW ABOUT IT!!
AS THEY ARE ALREADY MAKING BIG BUCKS ON ALL THE TREATMENTS & DRUGS & CHEMO & RADIATION & MORE DRUGS!! POOR UNEDUCATED PEOPLE WILL DO WHATEVER THEY SAY, CAUSE THIER DOCTORS, WHO NEVER EVEN TOOK ONE CLASS IN NUTRITION IN THIER LIFE!! I ASK FOR GREENS WHILE IN HOSPITAL & GOT ICEBURG!!! (5 DAYS IN A ROW!!) YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE & SPEAKUP OR GET WHAT THEY WANNA DISH OUT TO US!! TEACH YOUR CHILDREN, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!
AND THE WHITER THE BREAD THE SOONER YOUR DEAD!!
Eat whole foods, mostly non-gmo plants.
I have really enjoyed you blog posts. What I would love to see in your research is references. I am a Registered Nurse and I am passionate about health and nutrition as well as evidenced based practice. I believe a lot of your research comes from investigating big food companies, which I would think would be difficult to reference, but some of the statistics are reference-able. I believe knowledge is power, why not share references to to what you are quoting.
YES FOOD BABE, I TOO ASK YOU THAT QUESTION BEFORE TOO!! WHAT IS YOUR BACK GROUND & HOW DO WE KNOW ALL THOSE THINGS SAID ABOUT TRADER JOE’S ARE TRUE?? I BELIEVE ANY THING!!
Could you stop yelling Patsy!
There are many references available. Look to Joel Salatin, he’ll give you a lot of references from personal experience as a small grass fed farm. Look at the Farm to consumer defense fund.
All these informative sites are available to you via a google search.
Is Snapple drink healthy for us to drink?
Are you familiar with UnReal Candy Company? Based in MA, they have several varieties (tastes like M&M, Peanut M&M, Milky Way, Reeses), but they are lower in sugar, use real cane sugar, vegetable extract dyes instead of artificial ones. Sold at CVS & Target, in individual bars at check-out counter and in multi-serving bags hanging on rack. Check out their website-some hysterical videos featuring Matt Damon, Tom Brady & Giselle Bundchen, and the Sorry Bunny. Good to let people know in time for Halloween.
Thanks, Jen. I will look for these.
Thanks Vani for this investigative report and all the good work you do. Amy – as sad as it is . . . you have hit the nail squarely on the head with your “follow the money” comment regarding cancer being such a profitable industry. I’ve known this to be true after many years of research I’ve done after my husband contracted cancer. It’s time to wake up folks – before it’s too late. Research for yourself and sign the petition.
Foodbabe,
I thank you for your courage and perseverance in carrying on this research and publishing this information. There are many, like myself, having limited knowledge about what is really in our food supply, are now truly becoming an informed consumer. For so many years, I think we have been treated like cattle in the feedlots, feeding on everything that was handed to us without question. Knowledge is power.
BEING FORTHRIGHT SUCCINCT: I appreciate your newsletters— very informative— I make it a point to share your emails with interested folks————- Thanks — Keep up the good work—- you’ll be going places in the media world—-
Hello Food Babe,
Great research! Your comparisons with UK products are a glaring proof that something is very wrong with the food industry in the US. This information needs to be made available all over this country! Boycotting the companies you listed is one way to deal with the issue. The other is to write to the companies. Their websites are listed on the products. I’ve been doing this–pointing out that the artificial and chemical ingredients listed are harmful and that I would not be buying such foods in the future. I always receive a reply back. These companies need to hear from us!
Thanks for your valiant crusade to inform us and to change the food culture in America!
Hello Foodbabe!!!!!
First of all: Congratulations to what you are doing!!! Greatest work!
In the early 90s we went on an adventure hike and got lost on one of the first soya bean fields in Ontario. What I noticed was tiny little bites taken out of the leaves and on the ground an array of different dead bugs accumulated around the still very young plants. If a tiny bite kills one bug, what will a pound do to a human, was my question ever since?
I have shared my story with many people since then and never gone back to soya, GMO or not, since there is no law in Canada either to inform the public about GMOs.
So yes! Thank you for what your doing! You make a huge difference in the world!
Iris
Has an article such as this been brought to Michelle Obama’s attention… Since she is such a big spokesperson for healthy food and children & obesity…. You’d think she might have some influence with all this research you’ve done. Thank you.
Rapeseed and canola are one in the same. Just different names for the same plant based oil. Canola is derived from an acronym popularized by the Canadian rapeseed oil association.
True rapeseed oil contains high amounts of erucic acid which research has shown to damage the heart.
Rape Seed is the vegetable that is highly processed to make Canola Oil (Canadian Oil – a marketing name for those who wouldn’t like to consume Rape Seed Oil). Since any ingestion of Canola oil gives me a sever asthma attack, I avoid it like the plague. Also I noticed that you cite “vegetable” oil in some of the UK products – well, vegetable oil can contain Canola oil and is usually a mixture of several different oils like cotton seed oil, palm oil, Canola Oil, etc. If a restaurant uses vegetable oil, I ask them to identify what kind of vegetable oil. If they can’t assure me that it doesn’t contain Canola Oil, I avoid ordering any food that uses it in the cooking process.
Thank you for this invaluable information. I have passed along to my network, but want to do more. Please advise me of events that may be going on to boycott these products. If none, perhaps it’s time to start organizing some.
If anyone else cares to send me info. about this, please do.
Thank you.
I also signed the petition to Kraft. Why not think larger, however, and send one to the FDA to ban all dangerous ingredients?
Celeste,
I looked over the Farm to consumer defense fund site pretty carefully. I saw a lot of anecdotal information but no science. I try real hard not to confuse anecdotes with science because misinformation often results from it.
I eat whole food, mostly which I produce or kill myself and I want to keep it that way. But, I think there is enough good information out there without having to resort to junk science.
Every “convenience” food is filled with these poisons. The food companies promote their use via coupons and promotions. My deceased husband developed diabetes and his blood sugar levels were difficult to impossible to control UNTIL I started cooking from scratch. For example, if he had a sandwich made with purchased bread from the grocery store, his blood sugar would really spike (over 300); however, he could eat two (2) sandwiches from my homemade bread with no discernible effect on his blood sugar. Many of my friends have asked me why I don’t use coupons at the grocery store. Well, if you purchase milk, flour, butter, oils, etc., there are typically NO coupons for those. Why? The food manufacturers want you to buy those items with all the chemicals and additives. Cooking from scratch requires a committment to your health and your family’s health. It also requires planning. But it can be done and the health rewards are well worth the effort.
Thank you…priceless info that the public needs to learn. Please continue to try to get it out. It will change all buying habits as it has already changed mine.
Doctors don’t study diet and nutrition in medical school because that isn’t the focus of their training at that point in their career. They have their hands full studying anatomy, learning to identify symptoms and diseases, and the myriad other things that are necessary to become a physician. Later on, depending on whether they pick a specialty, they may. For example, endocrinologists learn about diet because it’s key to treating diabetes effectively.
Doctors shouldn’t be depended on for nutritional information, though many actually know a lot about it and are capable of giving sound advice when asked. They have enough to do, and enough legislative and insurance-mandated red tape to wiggle through to do it. Hospitals employ dieticians and nutritionists for a reason. Personal trainers often study nutrition too. Insurance companies often offer lifestyle services to their insureds in furtherance of their risk management principles. The options are out there.
IT’S ALL GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED CORN.
Thank you food babe for your investigaions, I have been doing mine for years and it has paid off, my children are grown now and still eat the way I taught them. I basicly had them stay away from junk food as they were growing up but they have graduated to only eating fresh organic foods and they try to stay away from gmo foods as well. They never get sick and are very healthy. I have learned a great deal from you and Dr Macola I take his advise and now eat some fermented foods as well.
I live in Canada. Are the ingredients here the same as in the U.S.?
Excellent article that I will share on my Facebook page. One part bothers me. You state that the government has their hands tied by big food industry and chemical lobbyists. I find that hard to believe. Our government is just as guilty as the companies that produce this food. They are not separate entities. The FDA is run using our tax dollars. Their are many FDA members, including former employers of Monsanto, that have their own interests at heart, and seem to not be concerned by the health and safety of the people it is suppose to protect. When big business is allowed to poison its own people and the government allows it, I hold my elected officials responsible.
I would like to forward this very important informations/ how do I do it?
Sprouts Farmers Market bring good organic food to Houston
Thank you for all of the fantastic research! It’s so unfortunate that in order to feed our families “safe” food, we have to put out so much more money! Gmo-free and organic foods are very expensive so I pick & choose what organic food makes the cut (mainly by the dirty dozen list & based on how often my little ones eat that particular food). This issue & horrendous problem we are all facing needs to be in a spotlight, needs more publicity. Have you considered reaching out to some celebrities that are organic fans? I’m sure some caring celebrity mom (or a few!) would be on board & speak out on our behalf about this, the importance of labeling, etc. It’s obvious not many people want to stand up to all of the CEOs generating billions for their cities, states, themselves…but hears to hoping! Interested in hearing your response :)!
WOW! Its sad to see such differences in the ingredients of the foods we have available to us and those in other countries. Makes me glad I’m cutting out unhealthy foods and soda. Just finished my 24Day Challenge and haven’t had or wanted a soda since I started. Thanks for sharing your findings.
When you consider that the Medical, pharmaceutical, drug, food and virtually all industries and politicians make trillions of dollars annually on people’s illness, personal hardship, and problems…it’s not really to much of a stretch to see that there is not to much incentive to make life wholesome, and peaceful. These are (what a insightful person once told me) “The wages of Sin” literally. People who profit from your trouble in other words.
Every individual has to take control of their destiny and make their own decisions. Don’t be dependent on doctors to make you healthy, lawyers to bring justice, politicians to bring peace or security, Drug companies to eliminate disease. These guys are having a party on your woes, and tribulations….not to mention your money.
We are all faced with great challenges that have to be addressed. I think listening to those that strive for positive change (like Vani) is a good start. You have to listen to your own logic as well. If you feel you are being lied to, there is a good chance you are. Do just the opposite of what liars tell you, you’ll be happier and healthier for your efforts.
Thank you for your posts of which I enjoy very much. Your research goes beyond the realm and is so very much needed. I stopped eating in McDonalds and other restaurants about 25 yrs ago. and became conscience of diet because of a reflexologist who just looked at me, to my amazement, and said I had sluggish kidneys because of the uric acid in my eyes. From that time onward, I quit smoking and other injurious habits,. I thought I knew a lot, especially shopping in health Stores over the years, but now realize after your research, I have gained another factory store of health knowledge.
I see the existing problem, because of so much chemical additives for financial gain by the food industry and the destruction of human lives, animals and the pristine environment of the globe by the vicious industrial conglomerate Monsanto, as a political matter where the politicians are weak-knead to protect their people. Capitalism doesn’t work, not only regarding food, but creates a hugh rift between rich and poor, as compared to Norway where there is no homelessness. Norway who initiated the EU, banned GM foods, but Canada’s Prime Minister, Harper keeps trying to push these forbidden foods into Europe through foreign trade, especially given the fact that when the UN warned countries of GM foods, Harper went against it. A few years ago, a Bill was introduced to Parliament by an MP to label GM foods, but the food chain Loblaws and Superstore fought and won, because of the cost involved.
I faithfully watch your posts as there has never been the coverage you have committed yourself to accomplish regarding people’s health and welfare. Thank you…
Food & water are very compromised in the US, so I choose to stay in Germany. In the US, water is poisoned with fluoride & most food is poisoned with GMOs. I feel sorry for the people who have to live in the US & cannot afford to avoid these poisons. In most parts of Europe, fluoridation is banned & GMOs have to be labeled!
Wake up people! This is all by design. Sick-care is a multi-Billion dollar industry here in the good Ol USA. They are intestinally making the sheeple sick for various reasons. This is no joke. They poison the food (GMOs, additives ,ect), the water (fluoride, chlorine, ect) and the air (Chemtrails, ect).
I have a unrelated question, was not sure where to ask so hope you don’t mind me asking here. Have you ever shopped at Costco? Have you ever researched the coconut oil? I have been purchasing this for several months now, I have replaced butter and every other oil with this. It is also my main ingredient in making my toothpaste and deodorant. I seen a post at The Healthy Home Economist saying that Costco coconut oil is not good because someone reported that their oil had a horrible smell, but from reading that post there was no research done, no evidence to prove what they believed, nothing to back up what they said she assumed, without doing any research, that the Costco customer’s oil was “bad” due to either poor quality, poor filtration, or the oil being just plain “old.” This is what I love about your postings/blog is that you do the research, you never assume. Looking forward to your answer, thanks ever so much, Vicki Marie
Just reading this for the first time.
Ritz is no longer owned by Kraft. It’s Mondelez. If people will boycott entire companies based on articles like this, it’s a fair update to make.
I would suggest this boycott for change: If everyone concerned opened and returned a product saying “I opened this box expecting to find the contents I needed and only found this packing foam.” (With a British accent of course.) Perhaps a petition would be more responsible though.