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Kellogg’s & General Mills: Drop the BHT From Your Cereal – Like You Do In Other Countries!

It’s hard to imagine a world without cereal. Like so many of you, I grew up eating it almost every day. I discovered that many of the most popular cereals in America, like Rice Krispies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, contain the chemical Butylated Hydroxytoluene, otherwise known as “BHT”.

Companies like Kellogg’s and General Mills do not use this ingredient in cereals in other countries.

They took BHT out of cereals completely, and replaced it with safer alternatives in Europe – but continue to sell cereals with BHT here in North America.

This chemical should not be in our food!

  • BHT is not proven safe! It’s linked to cancer (1) in some animal studies and is an endocrine disruptor that interferes with hormones (2).
  • The approval of BHT as a food additive has been called one of the worst failures of our regulatory system by the respected Environmental Working Group and is included in their list of dirty dozen food additives (3).
  • The Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI) classifies BHT as a “Caution” ingredient (4) that is unnecessary, is easily replaced by safe substitutes, and to avoid it when possible.
  • There’s conflicting data about whether BHT promotes the growth of tumors, and its research is controversial (5) – too controversial to allow it in our food! The European Food Safety Authority (6) notes that short-term and subchronic toxicity study findings are inconsistent. BHT simply hasn’t been proven safe and researchers agree that more studies need to be conducted.

Millions of children are eating this risky additive for their most important meal of the day.

Why should Americans needlessly consume a controversial chemical if these companies have already figured out how to make their cereals without it?

It’s time we demand the same here in the U.S!

That’s why I’m petitioning Kellogg’s and General Mills to completely remove BHT from their cereals.

We deserve the same safer ingredients other countries get.

Join me and sign this petition.

It’s time to dump the BHT!

Sources:

  1. http://www.ewg.org/foodscores/ingredients/7397-ButylatedHydroxytolueneBHT

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12121/full

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-43

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2702725

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3949264

  2. http://endocrinedisruption.org/popup-chemical-details?chemid=907

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14981123

  3. https://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#bht
  4. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12121/abstract
  5. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/fr/search/doc/2588.pdf

Dear John Bryant, CEO of Kellogg’s, and Ken Powell, CEO of General Mills:

The preservative Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) has been classified as one of the top dirty dozen food additives by the respected Environmental Working Group. This is because there are studies that show it can cause cancer in lab animals, and its research is controversial. It is also thought to be an endocrine disruptor. Although the FDA has granted it “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) status, BHT simply hasn’t been proven safe and researchers agree that more studies need to be conducted.

This same chemical is widely used as a preservative in your cereals in the U.S., however you sell the same versions of these cereals without BHT in foreign countries.

In particular, many of your cereals with BHT are marketed to children, such as Frosted Flakes, Wheaties, Cocoa Krispies, Rice Krispies, Cookie Crisp, Froot Loops, and Corn Pops.

Why is it okay for American children to eat cereal with BHT, if it’s not okay for children in Europe? This unnecessary and potentially harmful preservative is not in their cereals – so it shouldn’t be in ours. The simple fact that you don’t use it elsewhere is proof that it’s not needed.

I urge you to remove BHT from all of your cereals here in North America, and provide us with the same safer cereals that you sell overseas.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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