Are you eating this ingredient banned all over the world? Find out on the next episode of Food Babe TV right here:
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Azodicarbonamide 101
- Azodicarbonamide is a yellow orangish powder, more commonly used commercially in the creation of foamed plastics – like yoga mats, shoe soles, floor mats and window gaskets.
- The FDA allows food companies to use azodicarbonamide as a flour bleaching agent and dough conditioner in any food product giving it a status of GRAS or “Generally Regarded As Safe”.
- But, the FDA doesn’t even keep track of the companies who use azodicarbonamide as an ingredient. The lack of information leads the FDA to not update or include an toxicity information about this ingredient in its EAFUS or “Everything Added to Food in the United States” database.
- When a truck carrying azodicarbonamide overturned on a Chicago highway in 2001, it prompted city officials to issue the highest hazardous materials alert and evacuate people within a half mile radius! Many of the people on the scene complained of burning eyes and skin irritation as a result. (Source: Pandora’s Lunchbox by Melanie Warner)
- The U.K. has recognized azodicarbonamide 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 it can exacerbate the symptoms.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) studied azodicarbonamide, and also linked it to asthma and other allergic reactions.
- When azodicarbonamide partially degrades with the heat of processing, it forms trace amounts of semicarbazide, which shows carcinogenicity that can result in tumors over time.
- The United States is one of the only countries in the world that still allows this ingredient in our food supply. It 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. I’d like to see the head of the FDA put in jail for allowing it, wouldn’t you?
Popular Products That Contain Azodicarbonamide
Sara Lee (many of their breads, bagels, etc.) 
McDonalds (almost all their breads, baked goods, bagels, etc.) 
Subway Breads (many items on the menu) 
Wendy’s (many items on the menu) 
Arby’s (almost all of their different breads) 
Starbucks
These are just a few examples, but there are many more companies that use azodicarbonamide in their products (Pizza Hut, Publix Grocery Store, Jason’s Deli, etc). There is a very good list of other companies and brands that use this ingredient on the “Good Guide” – check it out here.
Why The Heck Are Companies Using This Ingredient?
Dough conditioners allow companies to pass off chemically processed cheap food as “freshly baked” because it recreates perfect, evenly packed air pockets within the dough, improving the texture after coming out of large industrial machines from processing. If a company uses azodicarbonamide as a flour bleaching agent it speeds up the processing, making bread larger and whiter than normal. Faster processing with cheaper ingredients = more money in Big Food pockets.
The Next Time You See Your Friends or Family, Ask Them:
Remember to buy organic bakery goods that prohibit the use of highly questionable chemical ingredients like azodicarbonamide and other dough conditioners. Please spread the word and share this video with everyone you know… no one should be eating yoga mats, their shoe sole or a floor mat. Yuck.
Till next time…
Food Babe
P.S. Sign up for free updates to get the next episode of Food Babe TV delivered straight to your inbox.
Great will tell my friends & family. Thanks Vani for all your good work.
Anche in Italia ci sono gli stessi problemi, grazie Babe per le tue informazioni!
Giuseppina, Italy has so much more quality in its food!! I used to live in Firenze and the food was so fresh, coming from local farms and the meditteranean. Mi manca Italia!!!
that was a long time ago, I bet. People forever repeat how in France food is bought at local markets, fresh and organic, but the ones who GO THERE regularly on business, report entirely different situation. Farms markets abandoned, and people lining up at ROTTEN Mc Roneys. France now cosumes the MOST of take-out junk food, and spend the MOST MONEY on it in EU.
This is a graphic example how these criminals high-jack public’s tastebuds and lead them to obesisity, and countless chronic diseases.
Fred, actually I just moved back to the US from Florence. The market is called iL Centro. You should visit it =)
I’m only 20 =)
Hello Vani!
This is great information and very scary to know that this is permitted to be put in our foods! Then again, we shouldn’t be eating fast foods but this is truly astonishing when you look at the Sara Lee bread and the Starbucks croissant (I am guilty of buying these). Definitely makes you think what else is in our foods O_o
Have a great one!
-Iva
Well, it must taste good!
Who should I contact and what can I do to stop the use of this chemical in food products. I do not eat any of those food items listed, but I think the FDA should investigate why other countries are not allowed to use it. I use only unbleached flour in my baking and cooking. Not everyone can afford the higher cost of organic foods.
ABSOLUTELY go Mercola.com. Dr Mercola is the most dedicated fighters for people’s right to choose what they eat. It’s the biggest health related website, and growing so fast, it’s scary.
There are numerous others, but it’s a jungle, Mercola is the best to start with
Hi Vani, I just discovered you on facebook, it’s a pleasure watching the video and getting the info I need about the foods that I eat. I am from Malaysia and lately alot of american companies have been opening up their stores here like wendys, texas chicken, and more and more American food products have been on the supermarket shelves. It’s good to have awareness of what I am consuming. I thank you so much for the work that you are doing. You certainly are a natural beauty.
While I appreciate the helpful information in video format, it would be much easier to take you more seriously if you weren’t flaunting your breasts. Do you feel the need to do that in order to grab people’s attention. What a distraction.
I will not apologize for wearing yoga clothes while doing yoga or for how my body looks. Namaste.
This T.Lynn needs a little more self confidence. Food Babe, keep doing what your doing!
If someone is detoured from the facts of the video due to a body part, then they deserve to continue ruining their health.. That or they never really felt comfortable in their own skin.
😛
it was a bit distracting and I felt like you are kinda just marketing yourself to men…maybe not. But I agree with the comment that it seemed you were overly flaunting boobs for some sort of attention getting opener…? no worries! My boobs always fall out of tank tops too.
Now I have to watch the video!
Good on you! Haha, Namaste! 😉
Oh how funny!! I didn’t even see your breasts, but find the content most interesting!!! Wear what’s comfy, honey. Life is short. 🙂
I love what you are doing and you have our best interests at heart. Do not let people criticize or make derogatory comments without deleting them. I understand that they may have a n opinion but, there is a way to express it and way not to. Do not tolerate any negativity. It is only with positivity and education each other that will help us all move forward. No one person knows everything, no matter how knowledgeable. As my Mother used to say, If you don’t have anything productive or positive to say, keep quiet. Negativity only creates negativity. Thank you so much food babe and bless you for all that you are earnestly doing, creating awareness, platform for (positive) discussions, a place for people to gather intelligence together.
Is that you on the yoga mat? If I got in that position I would need help getting out of it LOL
Doh – I didn’t realize about the breasts until after passing it on to my teenage sons – grrr…wish I would have watched it first! Of course, it’s your freedom of expression and the more power to you. But those same countries banning that substance probably would not allow that kind of thing to be worn either.
Food Babe — no reason to apologise for anything. You don’t need to cater to your critics.
T Lynn:
I just found this page as a FB friend posted this article.
As a normal warm blooded male who would usually never miss the opportunity to view a great rack of mam, I didn’t notice anything until your church lady comment pointed it out. I was more focused on the point of the story. Chill out lady.. and keep up the good work Food Babe.
oh my gosh, seriously? that bothers you? wow! it’s weird to me that what she was wearing bothered you more than the story.
it was a bit distracting and I felt like you are kinda just marketing yourself to men…maybe not. But I agree with the comment that it seemed you were overly flaunting boobs for some sort of attention getting opener…? no worries! My boobs always fall out of tank tops too.
Now I have to watch the video.
Please post a link to your blog so we can see how it should be done.
Well of course she’s going to flop her boobs out for inspection why is her name Food BABE ? Obviously she indulges herself in herself. She could care less about what anyone else thinks. Only men. She’s only a piece of meat for men who recommends not eating fake food products. Sensationalism sells.
What a shallow, judgmental, and classless comment. If you listened to food babe more often then maybe the synthetic ingredients wouldn’t have destroyed so many of the few usable brain cells you had.
The people commenting about your clothing and body above would probably prefer that you wear a burqa. And stand several feet behind a man and let him narrate your videos.
Please keep doing what you’re doing.
Food Babe:
This is adorable. I love that you are teaching and still making it fun and funny!! These subjects are so upsetting, its such a relief to be upset but smile and laugh and the same time!! You are hilarious. Great job.
Thank You !! Keep up the great work .
What about Hardee’s ??”
Please do not use “who” when referring to companies! Despite what the government would like you to believe, corporations are not people. The word “who” by the rules of grammar is used for people. See the rule:
Who vs. That vs. Which
Rule 1
Who refers to people. That and which refer to groups or things.
It would be great to give options for direct alternatives right beside the products you have found to be toxic! Thanks:)
Bleached flour causes issues for a lot of people, like digestive issues and acid reflux. Anyone know if there is azodicarbonamide (a.k.a. yoga mat – LOL) in most bleached flour products? Gotta start checking labels…
Don you know if this is banned in Canada?
Hi! I called Health Canada today to get some information and it is permitted. Here is a link. It’s the Health Canada food additive dictionary. Great resource!
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/list/2-bleach-blanch-eng.php
Azodicarbonamide is sometimes just listed as “dough conditioner” in the ingredients. Seems harmless in those terms…Not! Many of the “fresh-baked” breads in the bakery section of your grocery store have azodicarbonamide and plenty of other unnatural ingredients. Read the labels, never assume.
Since you specifically mention Subway’s 9 Grain Wheat Bread, does that mean the other breads are okay? I tried to find an ingredients list on their website, but couldn’t figure it out. Where can I go to read for myself?
My girlfriend and I were just watching your interview with Marie Forleo. Totally blew my mind with what you shared. You now have two new subscribers to your awesome blog.
Thank you so much! Welcome 🙂
Foodbabe – I have been enjoying your web site for months now and am enlightened by your research. I ofter wonder how you fund your work. I have never seen anything regarding donations. Do you take donations to help further your wonderful work. Let me know and thank you so very much for all you do.
Clay Campbell
Mint Hill, NC
Thanks for the info, awesome as always!!
azodicarbonamide is indeed used in bread dough, and allowed up the 45 parts per million. It is not stable to heat, though, and it falls apart quickly to another compound, biurea, on baking. It not used to “bleach bread dough”, though.
Fabulous website!!!! I would love you to investigate Red Mango. It seems to be the best of the fro-yo shops. …or maybe the best of the worst?!
According to the FDA,
“The food additive azodicarbonamide may be safely used in food in accordance with the following prescribed conditions:
(a) It is used or intended for use:
(1) As an aging and bleaching ingredient in cereal flour in an amount not to exceed 2.05 grams per 100 pounds of flour (0.0045 percent; 45 parts per million).
(2) As a dough conditioner in bread baking in a total amount not to exceed 0.0045 percent (45 parts per million) by weight of the flour used, including any quantity of azodicarbonamide added to flour in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section.”
Pretty powerful chemical to be useful in such small quantities. Who the heck thinks to try these things in food?
Loved the info Vani! Thank you! Love that you make it funny and especially the bloopers…
Thank you so much for all the information. It can be a little disheartening to know that you are trying your best to eat healthy and those appointed to making health decisions (FDA) for us are allowing the worst possible things to be added into our foods. Oh, and to this person who is having a problem with your workout cloths…why are they looking a your breasts anyway? The story is about adding azodicarbonamide to our food, not boobs!! Keep up the awesome work girl!!!
I was totally disappointed to see this stuff in the Nature’s Own 100% wheat bread that I’ve been eating! :/
Hey Babe, get yourself a weed whacker…
PS: thanks for the info
Your “Do You Eat…” video series is brilliant! Delivering your message with wit and humor is the perfect approach for reaching more people. Giving the nasty ingredients an example everyone is familiar with is great too. My family checks labels for beaver butt/natural flavors and yoga mat/azodicarbonamide now. Thanks a bunch and keep up the great work!
I am a little confused about the spelling of the ingredient on which this article was focusing. It seemed like mostly it was spelled azodicarbonamide, but I also saw it spelled a couple of times as azodicarbionamide. It’s azodicarbonamide, isn’t it? Any which way, you make a really cogent point. Many of your articles come up on FaceBook, and I feel I have a better idea of what to eat and what to avoid as a result. It has confirmed all my reservations about Starbucks, Subway, and other food chains and taught me to keep a lookout for Chipotle. Thanks!
Camille
Looking at Box Tops For Education–with the exception of Green Giant fresh fruit and vegetables and Lara bars, the foods encouraged for our children are terrible.
Sugar loaded cereals and yogarts; Hamburger Helper; Pillsbury Sweet Rolls; Tostino Frozen Pizza just to name a few.
Such a beneficial program but killing our kids.,
Hi FoodBabe-
Thank you sharing this information on toxic chemicals in our food! I wanted to share with you this exciting new project from Beyond Pesticides regarding independent science and investigations into chemical toxicity. I’m sure your readers will also be interested.
Beyond Pesticides Launches The Fund for Independent Science
(Beyond Pesticides, September 27, 2013) In an effort to ensure that the essential independent scientific research on pesticides is not thwarted by the chemical industry, Beyond Pesticides has launched The Fund for Independent Science. This fund, catalyzed by the recent announcement that Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. has lost university funding for his laboratory and research, is set up and run by Beyond Pesticides. Our goal is to raise $150,000 to enable Dr. Hayes to keep his lab running for a year, and ultimately support the other work of independent researchers. Make a pledge today.
There are few scientific research projects more important to protecting life and preventing its long-term demise than those conducted by Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. And now this work is under threat. Dr. Hayes, a Harvard educated biologist and professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, whose research finds that the herbicide atrazine feminizes male frogs, is one of the leading scientists critical of the pesticide industry and regulatory process. This critical research is threatened while, as Dr. Hayes’ points out, amphibian species are in decline and they are disappearing.
Read Protecting Life – From Research to Regulation: Disappearance of frogs, human health effects linked to pesticide use,published in the Summer 2013 issue of Pesticides and You.
MORE INFO: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/
THANK YOU!!!
Robert
Gah!!
I live in Canada. Jut pulled out my Robin Hood Nutri Omega-3 & Fibre blend to make some baked treats. I just looked at the ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour (with Amylase, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide), Flax Seeds.
I’m furious! I’m quite careful about the products I use – and I’m so mad when companies make their product “appear” healthy while they poison us.
No wonder society tends to be so unhealthy – they are led to believe they are doing good things for their families and aren’t being told the truth. Sad.
Hi Tamara – it is so frustrating. We all fall for the false marketing sometimes…
I kept reading about bleaching and anti-foaming ingredients, but this video put it in a good perspective. Thanks to you, I’ll think twice before ordering my next fast-food meal, and immediately reduce my consumption of yoga mat. By the way, your yoga presentation was not distracting to the message, and captured my attention to watch and learn through the full video. Good job with that.
they can only use up to 45 parts per million as an additive. Yes, it can cause those things but most bread companies use it. Allows for elasticity and keeps the gasses up in the bread making it stay softer longer.. You would literally have to eat hundreds of loaves of bread with this ingredient to even see any reaction of sorts. I appreciate what you do and I really like that someone investigates but its such a minimal thing. Keep up the good work and dont sweat the small stuff 🙂
PS.. Who the heck needs to be eating bread thats not from sprouted grain anyhow? LOL
We have been using Nature’s Own because it’s so hard to find good bread here, that doesn’t break the bank. Family of 5. I guess I will continue looking. 🙁
That brand on the fb is what grabbed my attention to watch the video.
Thanks FB. I had seen the warnings for azido….. before but usually I’m in a hurry and already knew I was sacrificing when buying this bread. I just didn’t realize how much. 🙁
Yoga mats/subway buns!! Who’d a thunk they are so genetically linked. Vani, a good friend turned me on to your site and I must say it is the bomb. I love all the info and your beautiful smiling face is very motivational! Keep up the good work!!
Welcome Bill!
I am not one to indulge in processed foods to begin with, but the scientist in me wanted to research this a bit more. While true that the substance is banned in food in Europe and Australia, you have to understand that these countries don’t rely on processed foods like Americans do. Many junk chemicals are banned in these countries.
That being said, studies show that one would have to eat A LOT of these foods for a long period of time to suffer from the adverse effects. This may or may not apply to those in poor health. You can read this study, http://bit.ly/15DuXL0, which cites more studies. (warning: testing was conducted on animals, if you are going to freak out, probably shouldn’t read the study, or any study for that matter).
While I applaud this young lady for trying to spread the word, altering/omitting information for dramatization sort of takes away from her credibility. Educating the public should require unbiased information.
Since this chemical is also used in food grade plastics, yoga mats, etc, exposure is still possible if these products are used. You cannot depend on a company or others to keep you safe. Grow your own food, make your own materials, become self sufficient and there will be no worries.
This is why our country & food is such a mess, because all of us are more focused on boobs & drama than what people are saying & doing with our gov and food.
Hey there,
Thanks for the info. I’m not American, and I typically don’t eat in McDonalds, Subway or Starbucks, but I was wondering…. if this ingredient is banned in Australia, can it still be found in these restaurant’s food in Australia, or other banned countries??
Hi Vani! I watched your video and I was totally shocked with that ingredient. I looked on my packed bread and it had the azacar..thing. There is no way in HELL I will be eating those breads again!! So this morning when I wanted to have my morning snack I arranged some ‘cookies’ made of my home made almond milk leftovers. Thank you so much for your info! 😀
Hey Foodbabe,
I messaged Nature’s Own on FB asking them to remove this ingredient from their whole wheat bread. (I posted a link to your funny yoga mat episode.) And this was their response…
“@Cathy, In response to consumers, we have eliminated the ingredient from our Nature’s Own products. However, we are still in the process of updating Nature’s Own packaging to reflect this change.”
My son loves their bread… so asking was very helpful, instead of reading the label and writing them off for good.
Thank you! Always helpful and informative.
Questions…
What about other dough conditioners?
Why is this ingredient usually lumped in with others as possibly being included? See below.
“dough conditioners (mono-diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ascorbic acid, monocalcium phosphate, azodicarbonamide)”
Is it possible to get processed bread without it?
Thanks!
When my daughter was born, after doing some research, I made the choice to feed her nothing but organic food and no processed sugars. My family thinks that I’m completely nuts. In fact one of my cousins, with whom I was very close, no longer speaks to me because of the way I feed my daughter. She doesn’t eat candy, chocolate or drink soda/juices so in my family’s eyes, I’m depriving my daughter of a ‘normal childhood’ and we DO NOT eat fast food of any kind. If I tell them about the information I’ve found regarding additives and chemicals in our food they think I’m just making it up. I tell them all the time are you comfortable with having something in your food that can be found in your shampoo because I’m not really into drinking hair care products. But it’s like beating my head against a wall, so I just don’t talk about it anymore and actually have stopped going to family functions. But I refuse to pump my daugher full of chemicals, additives and the garbage that passes for food in this country no matter what the cost is to me.
Time to buy a Vita Mix commercial blender. I did and now I grind my whole grains to make the different flours for fresh baked goods. If we stop buying the products and calling the companies and telling them that you well no longer buy their products then they may do something about it. The truth of the matter is the bottom line for profits is what motivates these companies. I am still trying to figure out if bromine and Azodicarbonamide are related chemicals. Bromine is another additive that has been banned in other countries and causes thyroid deficiencies. The thyroid gland regulates our hormones and cannot do its job if bromine prevents the thyroid gland to use the iodine. There are many articles that state being iodine deficient is linked to increased rates of breast cancer. I wonder if this is why we now see men getting breast cancer also. No wonder so many are getting sick. I also do not recommend taking iodine without seeing a healthcare provider because it well cause a toxic reaction when you start taking the iodine. Get tested first to see if you are deficient.
I live in Canada and I noticed that this ingredient is the the flour, so how do you even make home baked goods with this ingredient in the flour, it’s getting to the point where you just don’t know what to eat anymore!
Hi, One question! Do all English muffins have azodicarbonamide in them? Thanks. Grace
Thanks Food Babe. I will be telling my family and friends to buy unbleached flour from now on.
Also, please ignore the boob comment. It is 2013 and it’s great that women can wear yoga clothing that is so covered that you sweat and uncomfortably heat yourself up, making workouts even more dreadful. Enjoy your body and your beauty. Women have enough to stress themselves out over, the last thing they need is another bitter woman to tell another woman she is too sexy and should feel bad about it. She is obviously jealous and needs to reconcile with her own poor body image. The next thing, you’ll be getting comments that you are skinny and need to gain 15 pounds, lol! Unfortunately trolls will always try to post jibberish on blogs. Just remember the beauty of karma and keep up your good work and surround yourself with good, loving, non-toxic individuals!
Sorry, I meant to say “it’s 2013…it’s great women can wear workout clothing that is NOT so covered up that you sweat and uncomfortably heat yourself up…”
Love how you have put this together and are presenting important and complex subjects/material in fun and digestible (pun intended) ways. This is what people need in order to tackle the mountain of “food” craziness that we have to confront on a daily basis.
Thanks and look forward to more f your humour and creativity!
Jocelyn aka Hadia
I read this article & FREAKED. Went straight to my Sara Lee 100% Wheat Bread….know what? They list 18 ingredients, NOT the 33 or so they have on this page. And know what else….?
NOT ONE SINGLE ONE IS Azodicarbonamide…so, I’m taking the validity of this post with a HUGE grain of salt…
For the love of God….. I wish more people would keep their small minded opinions to themselves. You will find what ever you are trying to see. She was not in any way negative about anything. It was refreshing to see that big smile and positive speech about the things they are putting into our food that we don’t know they are doing. She is into fitness and therefor she is wearing fitness workout attire. Start looking for the positive message and stop looking for reasons to be upset with these darn men that are mammary fixated. You sound more like somebody who is upset about men than somebody who is upset about their health. You go Food Babe….. even for the namesake alone…. You have my attention.
I have fun together with, bring about I uncovered what exactly I had been writing about to get. You’ve got ended the four evening long seek out! Goodness Thank you male. Have a very terrific evening. Cya
Vani,
I have no idea if you will actually read this, but I just have to express my admiration to you. I am a college student trying to live an organic, healthy life on a serious budget. I have been passionate about food ingredients and GMOs from the time I learned about our food industry, and all the nonsense, when I was in high school. Like you, I too feel like I have a voice to give, especially for my generation. Watching your interview with Marie Forleo was SO inspiring. I cannot tell you how much I look up to you and the work you are doing. Honestly, what you are doing is what I feel called to do as well. THANK YOU for all your hard work. I have been following your blog for some time now, to the point where I check it almost everyday! I love learning new ways to improve health and to avoid illness. My dream is to someday work with people like you (or even better, the actual Food Babe!) who are equally passionate about helping make the world a better, healthier, place.
Well now I have rambled on, but I just wanted you to know the difference you are making. You are truly a beautiful, positive, radiant gift to this world! And I am happy for you that you found your calling and are able to live it. Hopefully I can achieve the same!
Namaste
(p.s If you’re ever look for an unpaid intern….)
🙂
Fantastic blog you have here but I was curious if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get feed-back from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Appreciate it!