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You Won’t Believe Where Silly Putty Is Hiding In Your Food

You won’t believe where silly putty is hiding in your food. Find out on the latest episode of Food Babe TV and don’t miss the details below:

Watch Now:

Dimethylpolysiloxane 101 (a.k.a. Silly Putty)

Dimethylpolysiloxane is commonly used in vinegary-smelling silicone caulks, adhesives, and aquarium sealants, a component in silicone grease and other silicone based lubricants, as well as in defoaming agents, mold release agents, damping fluids, heat transfer fluids, polishes, cosmetics, hair conditioners AND IN OUR FOOD!

There have been no major studies conducted on the safety of dimethylpolysiloxane in food by the FDA or the Food Industry since it was approved in 1998, but the food industry is allowed to use it in anything they want (except milk). Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches, McDonalds French Fries, KFC Mash Potatoes and Biscuits, Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists, Five Guys French Fries, Dominos Bread Sticks, and on and on – the list of guilty restaurants is mind-blowing.

Companies Using Dimethylpolysiloxane

Dimethylpolysiloxane Can Contain Formaldehyde

The FDA allows dimethylpolysiloxane to be preserved by several different chemicals that don’t have to be listed on the label either, including formaldehyde! Formaldehyde is one of the most highly toxic substances on earth. It is linked to allergies, brain damage, cancer, and auto-immune disorders. See chart below directly from US Code Of Federal Regulation:

Formaldehyde

Dimethylpolysiloxane is commonly used as a filler fluid in breast implants, however this substance has started to be phased out due to safety concerns. If this substance is considered to be a hazardous ingredient when it’s placed inside our bodies, it makes you wonder, how can the FDA allow us to eat it?

American Companies Exploiting Us Once Again

When I compared the ingredient list of McDonald’s french fries in the US vs. the UK version, I was floored to witness the drastic differences. Europeans do not use dimethylpolysiloxane. Look closely at the ingredients in McDonald’s french fries below. 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 an “anti-foaming” agent? Do the brits like extra foam? No, they don’t, Europe actually regulates this ingredient because they know this man-made chemical was never intended to be consumed by humans. This whole time McDonalds has known about this and chooses to continue to serve it’s US citizens silly putty.

McDonalds French Fries Ingredients

A Secret Ingredient In Fountain Drinks

When I drank soft drinks as a teenager, I always wondered how and why fountain drinks tasted better. My friends and I would go on and on about this and say to each other “fountain drinks are the best!” and hit up the local gas station to get our fix. Thank god those days are over.

FountainDrinks

During my research, I found out that fountain drinks have a totally different formula than their bottled counterparts found on store shelves. Dimethylpolysiloxane is found in Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Fanta and other countless fountain drinks. The food industry doesn’t want you to know about the differences either. Coca-Cola was sued for being misleading to consumers and not disclosing that Diet Coke has two different artificial sweeteners in the fountain version vs. one in the bottle version. I wonder if there will be another lawsuit regarding this ingredient!? How many people do you think actually know that silly putty is in their Sprite?

Diet Coke Ingredients

We all know drinking soft drinks is not good for us, but does Chipotle, who prides themselves as a pioneer for better quality in the food industry, know they are feeding silly putty to their consumers by serving a wide variety of fountain sodas at their establishments? Chipotle recently phase out GMOs from their restaurant food by next year, but in order to do this, are they planning to remove their Coca-Cola fountain drinks too? I am pretty sure this isn’t part of the original plan. Maybe being associated with silly putty and formaldehyde will finally give Chipotle the nudge to switch over to drinks without GMOs and chemicals. It’s crazy, that even the companies that are trying to make a difference, are still pulling these dirty secret industry tricks in our food right under our noses.

Restaurant Cheap Shortcuts

Many fast food and causal restaurants use a butter substitute product called “Phase Oil”. You may have never heard of this substance, but I can almost guarantee you have eaten it. My husband first introduced it to me, when he said his cook at his fraternity house used it to cook all of their meals. (College kids, listen up!). Needless to say it was horrifying finding this out after looking up the ingredients.

Ingredients in Phase Oil: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Beta Carotene, TBHQ, Citric Acid, Dimethylpolysiloxane

When I saw “Phase Oil” on this list of ingredients Dominos uses, I called them up to ask why. The headquarters wouldn’t tell me and asked me to leave an inquiry. I ain’t got time for that, so I went straight to the source and visited a local Dominos to ask. I found out Dominos uses Phase Oil in their Cheesy Bread Sticks, instead of real butter – yum!

PhaseOilFoodBabe

It’s important to note, most restaurants don’t use this to intentionally harm us, they use it to cut costs. And this point hits the nail on the head. Using dimethylpolysiloxane is another cheap industry ingredient to make big profits for the food industry and does nothing to keep our health in check (especially with formaldehyde as a potential preservative!).

How many more people have to die from disease and how much more are we going to pay as a nation for health care until the FDA wakes up and starts regulating our food?

Don’t let the food industry trick you with this rubbery substance. Next time you see your family or friends eating and drinking the popular products discussed in this post and video – ask them:

“Do You Eat Silly Putty?”

Many of the fast food restaurants are required to post their ingredients online. Check em’ before you eat out. And remember to ask your server what oil your food is being cooked in and request it be cooked dry, with coconut oil (if they have it), 100% olive oil, or real butter.

Please spread this information and share this video… no one should be eating silly putty!

Till next time…

Food Babe

P.S. Sign up for free investigations like this and get them delivered straight to your inbox. I promise on all the organic food in pantry, my personal emails to you will be worth it!

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343 responses to “You Won’t Believe Where Silly Putty Is Hiding In Your Food

    1. I was reading the ingredients list to compare USA french fries to JAPAN french fries. Japan is very strict on what they allow into the country, as they do not like to poison their people. While reading, I just noticed the period after SALT. The Dimethylsiloxane is not actually made into the fries, it is used in the oil which cooks the fries, fish, nuggets, and whatever else they cook in the oil. That is to prevent the oil from foaming when you drop a new basket of something in hot oil to fry. I am sure it is definitely going to be in all the fried food. I am not saying this is good by any means. Just saying the chemical is not in the actual recipe, just in everything they fry. So maybe this is how they get away with continued use???

      1. Lols @ the comment that Japan does not like to poison their people, except for building nuclear power plants on major fault lines, they are doing so well. That thing is going to make these food issues seem very insignificant. As in, you may not be alive enough to eat anything soon thanks to GE and their Fukushima disaster.

      2. @ Polly- lol Good point, however you completely exaggerate the radiaton effects on the population. To be sure, thyroid problems of those in the immediate vicinity, first responders and plant workers will have some problems; and a huge area is uninhabitable for many decades- but people dying left and right from radiation is completely crazy. Read about Chernobyl according to the WHO:
        “Predictions, generally based on the LNT model, suggest that up to 5 000 additional cancer deaths may occur in this population from radiation exposure, or about 0.6% of the cancer deaths expected in this population due to other causes”
        Considering the background rate of neoplasms is 30% of the population, this less than 1% increase in cancers is indistinguishable from the natural rates of cancer. It’s the chemicals in our food, petroleum products and burning and coal power plants killing us! Also remember what happened in the evacuated zones of chernobyl- Wildlife rebounded, the Forest took over and endangered species thrive. What is more dangerous to the earth? People building cities displacing wildlife and clearing forest, or Nuclear power plants that cause an increase of .6% of cancer? In 2004 coal power plant impacts exceeded 24,000 deaths a year!!

      3. Japan not poisoning itself ? hardy har har. They have a history of polluting their own waters yet they over fish the same waters and indulge themselves in a diet of mercury poisoning.

    2. Because it dries out before it can mold or decompose. That’s was debunked a long time ago when they did it with the Happy Meal. Not saying it’s not unhealthy for other reasons, but food you can make yourself can have that effect to.

      1. @manny – debunked, my arse. The reason their food doesn’t decompose is because it’s loaded with ridiculous amounts of preservatives, which is totally unnecessary because the food is eaten right away. No one buys fast food only to take it home and put it in the refrigerator.

      2. Dehydrating meat so that it will last for years is a technique that’s been used for centuries (Beef Jerky, anyone? How about mummification?)

  1. Why don’t we put these chemicals in rich people food? It’s obvious they’re trying to do something sneaky here, even if it’s just about saving a buck.

    But seriously folks, poor people don’t have the choice to eat whatever they choose, and sadly, all of the food you can buy for a reasonable price at a supermarket or at a fast food “restaurant” are all filled with absolute garbage, now if they FDA approves these chemicals for consumption and corporate allows these things to be in food.

    I love this country, but I’m seriously losing what little faith I have left for its people.

    1. Being poor doesn’t mean you have to eat fast food or toxic chemicals. It’s actually cheaper to buy wholefoods that have more nutritional value. For example a pound of dried beans will cost you about $1.50 and pound of rice is similar in cost (typically no sales tax…at least in FL none on food that is not prepared) . For $3.00 you have a much healthier choice and it will feed about 4 people. For $3.00 at Mcdonald’s you would would only be able to get 2 items off the $1.00 menu….let’s push it and say 3…so you get qty.3 hamburgers or whatever. This would not only be less food for the money but you’re able to feed more people/have more meals from buying wholefood.

      1. I too agree that it can less expensive to purchase real whole food. I believe that the more important issue is TIME. We keep these crazy schedules and the evenings are filled with homework and kids activities, so families opt for eating out (drive thru or eat in restaurant). Take time to prepare and plan ahead. Buy healthier options (snacks to keep available in your car/purse/bag at a moments notice). I always pack a cooler of snacks or dinner, depending on what our schedule is. Your kids will get used to it! My kids have recently diagnosed dietary issues. Bringing our own food helps and they LOVE it. Much better than fast food options and way less money over time! Parents, you are in control of this…….so take control and don’t fall prey to easy options!!

      2. More money-saving tips: buy a whole chicken–it’s cheaper than pre-cut pieces. Use all parts of it: make broth, shred meat, and add to your beans and rice. Buy vegetables in season. Buy frozen veggies when on sale. Also, make sure your food $$ is not going to foods with no value in them like soda, chips, etc.
        Nour

      3. Most likely if you are poor or homeless, you might not have a kitchen or a pot to even boil dry rice or beans in!! That’s what makes fast food so evil! It’s filled with crap and too convenient!!!!

      4. Yes, it is cheaper to buy whole foods-and far more expensive to buy the stuff to cook it. There are entire apartment complexes in NYC without even kitchens. Think about that.

      5. I agree with Robyn. TIME is the major issue with making healthy food for yourself. People who need to work long hours, or multiple jobs, to support themselves and their families tend to have less time than those who don’t need to work as much. That’s where poorer people get the short end of the stick, and their health suffers.

      6. People who use the “I have no time to cook excuse” – really I find that unrealistic. My parents both worked full time and us kids had sports and all kinds of activities, yet they somehow found the time to put a home cooked meal on the table. If you don’t have time, then use a crock pot. Put in a cup of water, some cut up carrots and potatoes and some seasoned boneless chicken breasts and cook on low all day so you come home to dinner already cooked. No excuses!

      7. Two words: food desert.

        Food deserts are often in urban areas. The term means there are no outlets for fresh, wholesome foods. No produce or fresh meat sections are available in the stores that are there.

        The healthy or less expensive choice is not there to be made.

    2. A non gmo organic potato is not expensive at the supermarket. In fact, it is way less expensive than an order of fries in a fast food restaurant. Why not buy it and make your own fries? I have a very limited budget, and eating food that I prepare myself gives me a peace of mind when I see food investigations like this.

      1. A potato is cheap, but the organic extra virgin olive oil to fry it in isn’t. Also, if you are homeless, you probably don’t have a place to prepare food

      2. A potato is cheap. And really no need to have a lot of oil for frying. One teaspoon tossed with one potato and baked as oven fries would be the healthiest.

      3. “Olive oil” is expensive, and often not even made from olives. It is often made from cheaper oils, and unless you’re buying the highly overpriced organic varieties, you are most likely eating GMO-laden oils, let alone pesticide-ridden. If you cook things with olive oil alternatives (such as grapeseed oil or coconut oil), you will be saving money. Personally, I’ve been eliminating even butter from my diet — even if it’s organic, it’s still coming from a factory farm — no thanks! I’ve found that grape seed oil and olive oil are waaaay cheaper. But I have not used them for frying, just for cooking.

    3. I eat extremely clean, organic, non-GMO and healthy and my family of 4 can eat a clean healthy organic meal cheaper than eating at a fast food restaurant. I get tired of hearing people say that poor people can’t afford to eat healthy and then they go eat fast food several times a week. Trust me, if they would research eating clean and make a meal plan with recipes and their shopping list and stick to it, they can eat cheaper and definitely healthier than eating out!

  2. Domino’s workers behind closed doors use the nicname ” CHUM ” for phase oil. Do you want to eat something called chum? Not me. Also can you give us a list of halfway decent restaurants ? I am sure no chain restaurant is completely chemical and GMO free, but are there any that atleast are trying to serve safe healthy foods?There is such a demand for chemical and GMO free foods, you would think someone would want to start a healthy fast food chain.

    1. Chipotles has gone on record, intending to sell whole foods, non-GMO, but I haven’t checked out the veracity of this claim, yet.

  3. In the above article I have a possibility for Foodbabe when she asked “Why do McDonald’s french fries in the U.S. have to have an “anti-foaming” agent? Do the brits like extra foam?” Even though I think it was a rhetorical question or maybe just a rant. I noticed the UK only used Rapeseed and Sunflower oils (maybe since they are major producers and it saves import costs?), the USA uses Canola(rapeseed oil), Corn, Soybean, and Hydrogenated Soybean oils (maybe since they are major producers and it saves import costs and has longer shelf life?). This being said, maybe our combination of oils makes it more likely to foam when forms of moisture like ice crystals are introduced into it while it is 350 degrees. This could be due to the hydrogenated oil (man made preservative). I do think the catch title of Silly Putty in your food is a bit extreme. Foodbabe should correct the title to something along the lines of “chemicals in your fast food” or “silicone oil in your fast food”. I think they are more truthful titles and still shocking to read about.

    1. Whether you call it Silly Putty, an “anti-foaming agent”, or dimethylpolysiloxane it’s still in our food. For the record, Silly Putty is a completely valid description of the dimethylpolysiloxane that’s in our food, as this ingredient makes of 65% of the substance. People need to be shocked at the thought of what we’re consuming, and have been consuming for decades.

      1. C’mon True… it’s not a completely valid description. The food is not putty and it doesn’t make copies of newspapers when pressed against it. (And, in this case, it’s in the oil; not the food ingredients.) If 65% of the ingredients was salt and only 10% was gasoline, only the 10% would be the concern – so the % isn’t the issue. I appreciate the facts and the concern, but over sensationalizing the title just makes some legitimate people write-off the legitimacy of the article. I’d accept “Dangerous Ingredients in your food” and be more concerned than “Silly putty in your food” It is not silly putty. The fact is, many things we use in our lives (not just food), are only chemically slightly different than other, more dangerous things. Even salt (sodium and Chlorine) is dangerous separately, but not so much when iodized and combined chemically. Should you write an article saying “salt will burn your skin and cause your vessels to collapse and vomit blood” (effects of chlorine poison)?
        Again, I’m not saying this is ok, and I’m not disputing the concern of the article; just saying that 1) sometimes, things are ok that could be presented in a bad light for notoriety, and 2) even if they are bad, you might get a more useful response if it was presented more professionally.

      2. Lol. Ice cream is way more than 65% milk but we don’t call it “milk”, and my mother never had to tell me to finish my ice cream. Common sense is dead lol.

      3. Brevity is the soul of wit- she is communicating a complex idea in as few words as necessary (without misleading the audience). I’ve never heard of dimethylpolysiloxane- I can’t even remember it as a word. But I know what silly putty is.

  4. The use of these chemicals are not limited to fast food restaurants. I recently purchased some wings at the deli counter at Publix. I was reheating them at home and read the label and was shocked to find dimethylsiloxane in the ingredient list. I stupidly assumed that the only ingredients in fresh cooked wings would be chicken wings, oil and hot sauce. I was wrong! I contacted Publix only to receive a form letter that did not address the issue and a $10 gift card. I have written them back with a request to remove this chemical from their food. We’ll see what happens.

    1. Awesome!
      Send Publix this article with your follow up. Also take it to the manager of your local store and show them the wings. Publix does have some Greenwise offerings that make me happy, but the in-house foods ingredient labelsare scary.

  5. This just came up in a discussion with my husband about how, supposedly, fountain drinks don’t contain any secret ingredients. I remembered your post and set the record straight. I applaud the great work you’re doing!!

    1. You’re going to find it in any commercial fry oil, for safety reasons. Without it, the commercial fryer splashes oil all over the place, where it can be slipped on, burn someone, or catch fire. FDA allows up to 10ppm (it doesn’t take much for it to do its magic)

  6. I have met people like you before… you think you know “the poor” – lumping people all together because you read a “study” or a book from some individual who claims to have some special insight or have the right letters after their name…

    I have been poor for a good deal of my life. I only eat whole, healthy, good food. It can be had for a reasonable price, if one is willing to put in just a bit of time to prepare the food.

    It is a choice.

    1. I am a person who is now funemployed — and has been considered as someone living below the poverty line most of their life, and I can say that I can afford to buy almost all of my food organic. Yup. I live off of the food stamp minimum for one person and was able to do this for $200 a month. Now that some of the funding has run out for food stamps, and I am left with approx. $185 a month, I am *still* finding myself to be able to buy the organic and non-GMO foods. I am able to do this because I live a vegetarian lifestyle (with some vegan tendencies as I no longer buy dairy) and do not want to spend $8 on a pack of organic (factory farmed) bacon. One of the many reasons I’ve decided to ixnay on the meat-ay. HA. Anyways, the ONLY way I can see as how I am more able to afford organic (other than the elimination of meat from my diet), is that I am a smaller person and it does not take much to keep me full. I am quite happy about that; yay for saving $!

      Note: You don’t always have to buy everything organic, clearly, because some fruits/veggies are low in pesticides (refer to the EWG’s “Clean 15” and “Dirty Dozen” lists), and also if you are knowledgable about what foods contain GMOs, you can still avoid pesky GMOs without opting for the more expensive organic food/option.

      1. Bottom line: RESEARCH PEOPLE! Figure out which foods are GMO and opt for organic. If you are able to do that, your health will thank you for it.

        Eat crap? You’ll be paying for it in the long run with your declining health AND hospital bills. No thank you!

  7. The truth is, most of us have to work full time jobs and many are also single parents. We don’t have TIME to grow our own food, or make everything from scratch. Most cannot afford organic products. Most don’t want to sit home and eat nothing but rice and beans all the time. They are already conditioned to food that tastes good. The real key here is for people to stand up and start DEMANDING wholesome good tasting foods that we can purchase at a reasonable price. The only way to do this is to hit fast food where it hurts. Stop buying as much as you can and even when you do buy it call, write and complain like crazy. Look for alternative brands that are healthier. There are many out there. We just don’t have enough. I sacrifice other things to buy organic when we eat at home. However, we frequently have to eat out due to time. A lot of other families simply still cannot afford to do this though. And, in small towns there is virtually no selection or choice. We need better choices and more affordability!

    1. Linda – There have been tests that show ordering, waiting for order, getting home, and serving up ‘fast franken-food’ actually takes Longer, and Costs More than preparing meals from scratch… and it doesn’t Have to be rice and beans… I can get 6 Huge boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for about $8, a family package of Veg for $1.50, and 5 lbs of potatoes for $5. That sum is $14.50 – and can easily make 2 – 3 dinners, depending on the size of your family. If you have a family of 4 – I know you can’t get out of a FF Joint for less than that! It only takes minutes to do up chicken breasts (sauté pan), 15 mins @ 400 for oven fries, and 5 min for veg… you’re making excuses for poor choices. FF Joints will Always Cheap out on our Health – and the FDA will Never be of Help! Just check out their site and see what they allow in Meat that is allowed to be labeled “all Natural”! It’s a 2 -3 page of small print full of polysyllabic chemicals! It’s a Joke! As My Dearly Departed Father used to say “Never Put Your Life in Someone Else’s Hands”!

      1. Very good point Colleen and great advise from your father. We really do have to be our own health advocates.

      2. You are assuming that people who buy at fast food places spend that much. At one point, we literally had little money and no food in the house, and I was too sick to cook. I only bought off the dollar menus and fed the three of us for $5-$6.
        Spicy chicken sandwiches, $1 each.
        Actually, most of the time, I didn’t eat at all.
        It only took the time it took to go through the drive through at Carl’s Jr. or some other place with dollar foods.
        Please don’t presume that you know how all people have to live. Sometimes, there are no other choices.

    1. It was never reported that they use it- it was only reported that it is in the fountain drinks they choose to have available.

  8. Saying that there is silly putty in the food, just because 60% of the toy is made up of the chemical, is like saying that there are human beings in any food that has had water added to it. (The body is 60% water.)
    Please think before sharing this ridiculous article.
    Anna

    1. Not to be too snarky, but maybe it’s the boric acid, then (also toxic)? Perhaps the calcium carbonate (also toxic)? Or the clay (the inert filler)? These are the ingredients that make up the other 30% of silly putty (there is actually 70% silicone polymers in silly putty, btw, not 60%). Foodbabe’s point still stands- the burden of proof should be on industrial food sellers to prove a chemical is safe before they can put it into the federally regulated food supply. At minimum, the barest of minimums at that, they should have to disclose it. Just because a few people don’t care doesn’t mean everyone else should have to suffer.

      1. An item cannot be proven safe. That is just not how it happens. We could go down the route of talking about statistical Type 1 or Type 2 errors and other things, but to keep it simple the only thing that can really be demonstrated is toxicity, not necessarily safety.There are processes under cGMP FDA guidelines for these toxicity ‘safety’ testing.

  9. I am not in disagreement that chemicals like this should not be in food. I do have a problem, however with the dramatic misleading way that this information is being presented. There is no toxicity info available for this material via current MSDS. The person who wrote that piece continuously refers to the chemical in food as silly putty. Here is some food for thought. Silly putty, which is listed as a non toxic substance and which is made from among other things, 65% dimethyl siloxane, and 4% polydimethylsiloxane, does not even contain Dimethylpolysiloxane (the ingredient the story is about). Granted, these are all silicone polymer chains, but they are different from each other. The concentration listed as allowable by the FDA is between 10ppm and 250 ppm (10 being prepared food) which is .001%. That means you would have to consume over 1800 pounds of McDonalds frys to get the same dose of dimethy siloxane as in one slug of non toxic silly putty, that is if the chemical referred to here is even the same one the writer meant to refer to. Silicone polymers are widely used in medicine BECAUSE of their stability and bio compatibility. Does it need to be in food? no. Does it need to be the center of a fear mongering dramatic story? no.

    1. Yeah, maybe the title is a little over-dramatic. But guess what? That’s how it’s got to be here in ‘Merricuh. Yup. People here use fear mongering all over mainstream media. Corporations use false advertising and catchy little gimmicks all day long. Companies with products chock full of GMOs are free to label their crap as “natural” or “100% natural” as if it has some sort of actual meaning. This is how things work here in good ol’ USA. Otherwise, nobody’s paying attention.

    2. Chris – Silicone is used for medical purposes – yes… And I recall all the issues with breast implants exploding and the horrible outcome for the poor victims who trusted the medical community and the FDA… the FDA also approved Vioxx and Baycol… and Stibesterol… trust whoever you want, eat however you want – but do not portend to be an expert for others when you state that there is no problem with the various additives to our food supply… If we don’t stand and scream in a grassroots effort to end the insanity of the AgriChemical Industry – we’ll all be eating Round-Up and thanking the FDA for taking such good care of us!
      And to Tiffany L. – you can cook just Fine – keep practicing! Your kids don’t like Veggies? I didn’t either – til I learned not to Boil them! Roast ‘Em, add Lemon Juice (the Real Fruit – not ever the Bottle!) or grated Parm (from a wedge – not Jarred) – or, make Slaws from Brocc. Carrots, Brussels Sprouts – make your own dressing – and yes! add some sugar or Honey to it. Wish my Mom had…

      1. Colleen- Thank you for your reply. To date, I am unaware of a single implant, whether silicone or saline, having exploded. Perhaps “leak” or “rupture” would be a more accurate and less fear mongering term to use. Also, to date, there has been no factual scientific connection between the silicone gel used in implants and the auto-immune diseases that were correlated with ruptures. They were removed from the market for some time in response to a torrent of lawsuits by people who believed that their diseases were caused by the implants they had leaking. There were some issues with implants being manufactured using other than medical grade silicone, but that is an unfortunate sidebar to the main argument. Know that statistically, these women are no more at risk for these diseases than those with no implants. Please also note that saline implants are made using the same silicone pouch as silicone implants and that many leaking silicone implants have been removed without incident. You seem to have missed the point of my post as at no point did I ever say there was no problem with the additives in our food. In fact, quite to the contrary, the first and last lines of my response state quite simply my stance. I am not “portend”ing to be an expert. I have pointed out misleading information and presented it in a factual way as that is the way all information should be passed. If you want to support a cause and get others to follow, it is important that you use facts and not drama to get your point across. Good day to you.

  10. Just found out that So Delicious dairy free has eliminated carrageenan from their coconut milk and cultured products. I will be looking for them over the next few months. Never give up the fight for change. We have the power.

    1. REALLY? I’ve been searching FOREVER for a non-Carrageenan tainted coconut milk. This is excellent news! If it’s even true. Does this hold true for *both* the refrigerated and unrefrigerated products (speaking of the section in the store where it is sold — some of their products are in the dry non-dairy section).

  11. It should be called crankcase grease! I think Mercola had an article on the silly putty ingredient too….Keep up the good work Food Babe….bring them all down for what they’re poisoning us with and I think they should all be prosecuted and thrown in jail for mass poisoning too!

  12. After reading varying opinions from impoverished to wealthy, and diseased to healthy, I have a few plints of my own to add.

    1.) No matter what my household income, and no matter what MY personal food choices are, I have never been able to get my children to eat beans, broccolli, kale, olives, or anything else green. They won’t even try soy products, fungus like mushrooms or bleu cheese, and I don’t blame them. The pediatrician said don’t force them to eat anything, or we’ll induce life-long food issues. So we don’t. God knows, I freak over the mention of Lima beans or Chick Peas thanks to my parents!

    2.) I can’t cook. I have tried everything. Classes, cookbooks, youtube, you name it. I just have a cooking disability. All I can make is a crockpot of homemade marinara and boil some pasta. But that’s it. That means my husband, who works all day, has to come home and cook. He’s wiped. So in the oven goes a Schwann’s bag of chicken nuggets and cheesy taters. Or something else they’ll like without a fuss. And us? LeanCuisine meals, or something else quick & easy. We can’t eat GMO-wheat pasta every night.

    3.) Whole foods are not always whole foods. With all of the GMO stuff going on, and no real true label laws, how do we really know if that tomato we bought is healthy? And since California is dried up and not producing any tomatoes, did we import it from China? I don’t buy my kids lead toys from there. I certainly don’t want their food.

    The long and short of it, is that even the best of us will falter. We try not to eat fast food. But we do. We try to eat healthy when we can, but who really knows what healthy is anymore? And with kids, it’s really difficult to convince them that a carrot is a good snack, when a meltdown of 45 minutes just for them to have a yogurt, which is still somewhat beneficial (at least to their gut health,) isn’t such a bad trade-off to get 45 minutes of precious happy time with them. We have time constraints like most families, stresses, a Mom with no cooking skills, enough money to buy good food but not to hire a chef, and fussy kids. Life happens.

    Companies suck. America cares more about corporate wallets than people’s health. That’s always been the case – it’s nothing new. Big food producer owns government who owns big pharma, so it’s one big perpetual money circle. Things are only going to get worse. Boycotting isn’t going to change anything, because the other 90 percent of the population isn’t going to boycott.

    We can all make ohr own personal changes as we see fot, and stop trying to change everyone else, and stop blaming eachother, degrading eachother, and passing judgements. Just eat the way you’re going to eat.

    1. Steam and purée those veggies into your marinara. They don’t alter the taste much. If anything, if you add carrots at the same time, it gets sweeter. I’ve made great changes to family adults’ palates by sauteing everything always with 3 ingredients: olive oil, salt, and pepper. And I’m the baby of the family. With broccoli and cauliflower, toss th ccut up pieces (smaller than bite size) in enough olive oil to lightly coat (2 tablespoons per cauliflower head or a couple broccoli crowns if I have to guess) and sprinkle lightly with sale and pepper. Put on a cookie sheet (a big one because they don’t like to be crowded) into a 375 degree oven and leave it alone for 20 or so minutes until you see them start to turn brown, which means they are becoming caramelized, and thus, SWEET! Changes the flavor of cauliflower and I’ve made fans of previous haters.

    2. Your husband works all day and has to come home to cook… Wow. Kudos to him.
      There are plenty of things that you can learn to cook and they are simple, anyone can do it. If you can follow directions on a recipe, you CAN cook.
      As far as kids not wanting to eat, many people have different opinions but you are the authority in their eyes. I grew up having to eat whatever my mom made or starve. I thank God I wasn’t raised in the “sensitive parenting ” generation. Good luck with that.
      Even if “everything” seems like its bad for you now in days and you can’t trust anything ….make an effort, not excuses to justify eating at fast food places.
      I’m not referring to you personally when I say this, but most people are super lazy and need an awakening.
      Hard working people, whether at home with the kids or in their career are becoming scarce.
      I love to hear experiences from older people where, ” back in the day” they used to do things differently, and guess what? They turned out fine! Unlike our generation.

    3. I hear you. I also was a working mother with three daughters that often wanted the tacos and chicken nuggs. American companies care nothing about our health it is all about the $$$.

  13. I cherished as much as you’ll obtain carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an nervousness over that you want be handing over the following. sick unquestionably come further beforehand again as exactly the similar just about very often within case you shield this increase.

  14. Everyone that has time to either investigate this stuff or worry about is better off dead anyway! If it comes in a bkx your goig to die of cancer, if it comes in a jar, your going to die of cancer, if it comes in plastic your going to die of cancer, if you grow is fresh in your garden YOUR GOING TO DIE OF CANCER! Everything we eat kills us, you can’t go one day without seeing some bs online trying to scare people from eating anything! I cute potatoes at home and through them right into frying oil and I don’t add anything…. why should I believe that when I watch Five Guys open a bag of potatoes and through them cut up into the grease that this article has any truth to it. If your scared of life you will never live! Get a real job and leave the American people who are all ready paranoid enough ALONE!

  15. I guess the fountain drinks situation means that our adult beverages are tainted , too? Rum and cokes, vodka tonics, seven and sevens? They must use the same ingredients in their well sodas right?

  16. Using the excuse that you don’t have time to cook your own whole foods is a bunch of crap! I’m a single mom of 3 and one of my girls has had 4 open heart Surgeries. I never fail to prepare healthy organic whole food meals every single day! I also bake a fresh healthy desert for my kids daily too! I commend you food babe for all your research and for blowing the whistle on these unethical food suppliers. I have to cook for a special needs child so I’ve made it common in our home to make everything from scratch always.it’s really not that difficult or time consuming if you do it all the time is like second nature. Thank you for raising awareness! Now let’s tackle the sugar industries and artificial sweeteners fat cats on how these were NEVER supposed to be in the human food supply EVER! Keep up the good work!

  17. What is your souce for the claim on french fries at five guys burgers and fries? I used to work for this company and I can almost guarantee that your claim is inaccurate, correct me if I’m wrong but I would prefer to review the source of this information.

  18. Thanks Food babe for bringing awareness to what is being put in our foods here in the US. The facts are: Many of the chemicals/ingredients are banned in other countries for a reason, yet America have the most pharmaceutical companies, high health cost, and obesity. Please don’t let the negative comments stop your research, the haters should start their own blog. Many of them are saying they don’t have time for this and that, yet have time to read and make negative comments on your blog.

  19. Do you consider yourself an honest person? I cannot for the following reason.

    Dimethylpolysiloxane makes up about 4% of Silly Putty. It is not silly putty unlike your article claims. Just because a single chemical (C1) is found as an ingredient in substance A (Silly putty) does not mean that substance B with the ingredient C1 (McDonald’s French Fries) contains Substance A (Silly putty).

    Using your logic, you can say that every soft drink contains that contains the chemical H2O (a potentially toxic substance) can be called a poison because H2O is also found pesticides.

    Report weird ingredients where toxicology reports indicate that the substance is straight up toxic. Report what concentrations are toxic. Report if the substance is stored in the body and a toxic build up is possible such as with Vitamins A, D, E, and K.

    Stop using dishonest scare tactics. Just because the rest of the media does this, doesn’t mean you have to as well.

  20. Regarding the soda fountain drinks tasting different, she only mentions that that diet coke contains the silly putty ingredient. She also only lists the ingredients for diet coke, and not regular coke or the other flavors. We all know soda is bad for you, whether it contains this chemical or not. Also, No great mystery that french fries are bad for you. The clue would have been the potatoe soaked and fried in oil. The chenicals added to it are really irrelevant. You are doing more damage to yourself without even considering what this anit foaming agent is doing to your body. Just eat whole foods, and you will be so much better off.

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  22. This is junk science at its worst. And just to be clear, I have no dog in this fight. I don’t work in the food industry at all. Spreading these ridiculous claims merely spreads ignorance and unfounded fear.

    1. Silly Putty is a mixture of polydimethyl siloxane (also known as silicone oil,) boric acid, and silica. Claiming that “contains silicone” is the same as “contains Silly Putty” is absurd. It makes as much sense as claiming water is explosive and flammable because it contains hydrogen and oxygen.

    2. Dimethylsiloxane has no known biological impact. Because of its long-term use as a breast implant material and claims of health impacts caused by ruptured breast implants, it has been tested, studied, and evaluated more than any other polymer. For many years, it was banned in breast implants because of fear that it could cause health problems, but it has actually been re-approved based on the results of this extensive testing.

    3. Silicone rubber — which is chemically almost identical to silicone oil — is universally considered the cleanest, safest, most biologically inert rubber material for use in implantable medical devices, surgical instruments, and anything else that touches the human body.

    4. If you’ve ever taken Gas-X or any anti-gas medication containing “dimethicone,” you have deliberately ingested far higher quantities than are present in any of these food products.

    5. Polydimethyl siloxane has been approved by FDA for decades as an additive in rubber and plastic parts that come in contact with food (21 CFR 177.2600).

    6. Silicone oil is not a “low cost substitute” for natural products as implied in this article. In fact, it’s several times more expensive than vegetable oil. It’s used for a specific reason, in many cases to make a product or process safer and healthier than it otherwise would be.

    I’m not an industry insider, but in all of the cases cited in this article, I’d be surprised if the quantity of silicone oil in a food product is greater than 0.1%. It’s probably higher in makeup and skin products, but silicone oil doesn’t asborb through skin. Don’t get me wrong, there are food practices to get upset about. This is not one of them.

    If you want to avoid foods containing trace amounts of silicone, that’s your prerogative, but don’t force your opinion on others by calling for FDA regulations.

  23. You know you take the info and do the best you can do.take the time to do it. Cause u can’t do it all. If we had to freak over all we eat. How about SMOKING
    ALCOHOL
    DRUGS (MEDS)
    WATER YES WATER AND THE BOTTLES. AND I COULD GO ON.
    But I want to live every second of my life not spending my time reading everything I eat. I try to never abuse what I should not buy. But exercise and all the good things I eat or DRINK will counteract it all. I try to abuse of nothing. But I need to listen to my heart my head NY conscious. I eat meat and always did and
    Always will. But I don’t always buy in store but from a farm. $$ but I eat less and quality. Oh outside of products we eat. And curse those who eat non vegan. Look closely at how u live what u eat and what you wear and body products. Heck YOU COULD DIE FROM A TANNING OVERDOSE before anything else. CANCER. BUT ATLEAST YOU EILL DIE VEGANIZED. LOL THINK smart act smart take time but not ur life. I’m going to die anyway. Smart choices. Gutt sometimes tells you no . look at others live to be 80 or more eating the very foods we curse. HELLO!

  24. Looks like the UK is not spared from “Rapeseed” oil in their MickyD/Rothchild produced french fries. Rapeseed oil and canola oil are the same: RANCID TOXIC OIL that clogs arteries and caused immune system disorders. and “rapes” you of your health and wellbeing. These things are all being done on purpose by those at the top of the pyramid. It’s called eugenics. Look it up and educate yourselves.

  25. To the person that defended Japan not poisoning its people. Please. No country is immune from the devastating effect of humankind on the environment. Fukushima aside, Don’t even get me started on Japan’s Whale & dolphin slaughtering. No matter what country you are from, never stop questioning your government or the big corporations that lobby your government. More and more we are living in a Global corporatocracy.

  26. Every single one of you arguing the ingredients of silly putty is missing the point entirely. I think any one with a brain – including the one that wrote this article – understands that no one opened a can of ACTUAL silly putty & dropped it into a drink or food. Obviously there are MORE ingredients in silly putty. The author is trying to get the MAIN point across to you that there are DANGEROUS chemicals in most commercial food & drinks (that have NO business being there & that aren’t there in other countries), and she’s encouraging you to RESEARCH and look for yourself.

    There is absolutely NO defense to not eating healthy. There is NO valid excuse. “I don’t have time” – the people I’ve seen throughout my entire life always seem to find the time to do stuff that they WANT to do. “I don’t have the money” – well, you ARE going to pay for it. You can pay for it with money now, or you can pay for it with your health later. And I JUST watched my mother die of cancer because of the food she ate for most of her life – it was the most awful thing ever. You’ll pay dearly, trust me.

    And yes, knowledge is changing all the time. New information comes out all the time. All we can do is keep up as best we can and make changes as best we can. But if you insist on turning a blind eye to articles like this when someone is trying to HELP you, YOU will be the one to pay, along with your children. These things aren’t scare tactics (your government does plenty of that for everyone, thank you), these are facts.

    Open your eyes and open your mind. I wish there was nothing bad out there, but sadly, there is. Ignoring it doesn’t change it, and it doesn’t change your body’s reaction to it, either.

  27. People we all need to remember that these companies are selling a product! It is up to us as consumers to educate ourselves as to what we are purchasing! When we buy a car we want the safest one on the market. The same should go for food. When you do fast food you are playing roulette with your health. So glad the Food Babe is able to get the word out! Thanks Vani!

  28. Is Chris trying to say industrial chemicals are healthy food? Chris seems blissfully unaware of the politics of science. I will let him consume the “safe” levels of mercury, live next door to the “clean” nuclear and coal plants, and believe in everything the FDA approves. I choose to exercise caution and common sense.

  29. Thought this might interest you Fox 8 Piedmont News Station posted this about Taco Bell and their beef being 88% beef and what is in the other 12%, here is the link http://myfox8.com/2014/04/29/taco-bell-reveals-mystery-ingredients-in-88-percent-beef/

    I don’t make a habit of eating fast food but there are times when being out on the road for up to 10 hours and you just gotta get something, this all makes me sick to think no matter my choice it is going to be a bad one!

  30. The FDA wants toxic chemicals in your food , after all they only do what the big chemical companies want, it’s to make us sick, so the drug companies can sell their other toxic chemicals called pharmacuticle drugs with toxic side effects that kill 106,000 people per year. Isn’t it funny that the head of the FDA was the attorney for Monsanto. But hey they are making tons of money off unsuspecting people who eat these toxins and the medical community continues to get rich at your expense why else would they put poison in our food, anti foaming agents in french fries? Really? The FDA turns a blind eye to whatever the big multi billion dollar chemical companies want to stick in our food. The FDA is not asleep at the wheel they want toxins added to your food there’s no money to be made in healthy people.

  31. There are some restaurants around the world that has made Fiji water as their official water.
    All of those things will lead to more sales and more product recognition. ” “There is nothing that comes within a
    mile of the Vega for performance and handling.

  32. ok now you told me how they are poisoning the population now tell me how I can sue them hold them liable put them into jail and kill them too

  33. What can we as U.S. citizens do to put pressure on the FDA? You could use a link or menu item on your website that gives us information about how we can help. I know that spreading information, choosing healthy items, etc helps but that puts pressure on the companies instead of on the FDA.

  34. Excellent beat ! I would like to apprentice whilst you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a blog web site?

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  35. Also, this stuff goes right through you and you poop it right back out. In extremely high concentrations (like drinking straight PDMS), minute quantities are absorbed into the bloodstream, but for the most part, this stuff just stays in the digestive tract.

  36. Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to make a top notch
    article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and
    don’t seem to get nearly anything done.

  37. Dear Vani,

    you promised us to correct any false information. So please take down the misleading information about the silly-putty-chemical in Mc Donalds frying oil. The Silly-Putty-Chemical is also in the European french fries, it just does not show up on the ingredients’ list as it is considered a technical aid and not an additive.

    All the best,
    Adriana

  38. fast food is designed for corporate profit, not for health and nutrition. period. corporations care about profits and do not care about you or your health. do you not know this? also, the food corporations, medical “health care” businesses and large pharmaceutical companies all rely on each other. they are “in bed” with each other, so to speak. you eat crap food, you feel like crap, you go to the doctor who charges you or your insurance company a boat-load of money, then you take pills to feel better. insane! do you not know this? how do you not know this! stop drinking coke, stop eating delivery pizza, stop smoking, stop eat cereal with rainbow colors and stop eating food that are packaged in plastic containers that are now floating around in the pacific ocean by the millions of pounds. this planet gives you, a human being, the chance to live a great life, while floating around in out space, and we piss it all away on TV dinners and high fructose corn syrup. WAKE THE F UP

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