STUDY FINDINGS:
A new study has revealed that presence of carcinogens in the caramel color added to cold drinks increases the risk of cancer among people with high consumption. The chemical, 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), is produced as a byproduct when caramel color is formed in soft drinks. Findings of the study have been published in the journal PLOS ONE. The chemical is also found in roasted foods, grilled meats or coffee.
Read more:
HURRAY TO CONSUMER ACTIVISM:
Kraft is removing artificial preservatives from everyone’s favorite grilled cheese ingredient, their popular Singles cheese product.
Kraft said that sorbic acid is being replaced by natamycin, which they say is a "natural mold inhibitor." As a food additive, it has E number E235.
Recently, Subway removed a chemical from its bread that is also found in yoga mats.
Polyvinyl chloride or PVC, is often dubbed the most toxic plastic on the planet because of all the harmful vinyl chemicals used to manufacture it and the ones released during its use and disposal.
A vinyl chemical called diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), the chemical used to keep PVC flexible and pliable (think shower curtains and garden hoses), has just been dubbed a carcinogen by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
This adds to others in the list:
· BPA, the hormone disruptor found in some plastics labeled #7 and in the lining of most canned foods, and
· Phthalate, DEHP, which is also used in PVC, and is a carcinogen.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Say no to vinyl. The easiest way to identify this toxic plastic is to avoid any plastic products with the #3 in the triangle of arrows on the bottom. If you’re not sure, give it a smell test: PVC products emit a plastic odor that will remind you of a new shower curtain.
Source: Rodale News
The golden-brown color of many soft drinks comes with a dose of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI.
4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI) is a compound used to make certain pharmaceuticals, photographic chemicals, dyes and pigments, cleaning and agricultural chemicals, and rubber products.
On U.S. product labels it appears simply as "caramel coloring." Products that potentially contain 4‑MEI include certain colas, beers, soy sauces, breads, coffee, and other products.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the state of California, now limits manufacturers to 29 micrograms of exposure for the average consumer per day. Foods exceeding that limit have to carry a warning label that reads: "WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer."
Studies published in 2007 by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program showed that long-term exposure to 4-MEI resulted in increases in lung cancer in male and female mice.
But when Consumer Reports purchased sodas in California and had them analyzed by a lab, it found that one 12-ounce serving of Pepsi One exceeded the levels permitted without a warning label. Interestingly, Pepsi One purchased by the group in December in New York contains four times as much 4-MeI as the same product bought that same month in California.
The Food and Drug Administration does not set federal limits on 4-MeI in food.
NOW, DO YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO REALLY DRINK THE NEXT COKE OR PEPSI CAN, KNOWING THAT?
Please check out my latest consultation in the attached article: COLOR ME BAD at DFW CHILD
If there’s one thing that consumers expect and hope not to find in their food, it’s bugs. International yogurt manufacturer Dannon, however, has recently come under fire for including bugs in its yogurt products. Specifically, Dannon has been called out for its use of bug-based dyes in its yogurt products.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit food watchdog group, Dannon uses an ingredient known as carmine to give some of its fruit-flavored yogurt products a pink color. Carmine is a bright red dye which is derived from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which naturally occurs in the scales of cochineal insects.
40,000 cochineal bugs are needed to produce just one pound of cochineal extract for the carminic acid. In order to obtain this substance, the insects’ bodies are dried and then boiled in water.
The CSPI contends that Dannon’s use of carmine is tricking consumers, who believe that fruits are providing the color in their yogurt. They also point out numerous studies which have found that insect-based dye can put some people at risk for allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock.
CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson commented:
"I have nothing against people who eat insects, but when I buy strawberry yogurt I’m expecting yogurt and strawberries, and not red dye made from bugs. Given the fact that it causes allergic reactions in some people, and that it’s easy to use safer, plant-based colors, why would Dannon use it at all? Why risk offending vegetarians and grossing out your other customers?"
CSPI says that the strawberry, cherry, boysenberry, and raspberry flavors of Dannon’s "Fruit on the Bottom" line of yogurt all contain carmine. Several flavors of Dannon’s Light and Fit Greed product and six of its Activa yogurts also use this extract. The strawberry flavor of Dannon’s Oikos brand of Greek yogurt uses the extract as well. Fortunately, the company uses natural colors in its Danimals line of yogurts geared towards children.
CSPI is encouraging Dannon to stop using insect-based dye.
Source: July 26, 2013 by Julie Kent
FOOD COLORING
Americans are now eating five times as much food dye as we did in 1955. Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. Food coloring is also used in a variety of non-food applications including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, home craft projects and medical devices.
SOME DANGEROUS SIDE EFFECT OF FOOD COLORING
A 2007 British study found that children who consumed a mixture of common synthetic dyes displayed hyperactive behavior within an hour of consumption.
• Cochineal (E120), a red dye derived from the cochineal insect. (Not Vegan or vegetarian).
• Red No. 3 – Erythrosine, E127 (is commonly used in glacé cherries). Erythrosine is linked to thyroid tumors in rats.
• Yellow No. 5 – Tartrazine, E102 (yellow shade). Tartrazine causes hives in less than 0.01% of those exposed to it.
• Yellow 5 and yellow 6: The store-bought mac and cheese has dangerous dyes made from coal tar, which is also used to seal-coat and preserve products like shiny industrial floors as well as to kill bugs in lice shampoo.
• Blue 1 and blue 2 are most commonly found in sports drinks: Similar to yellow 5 and 6, these blue dyes are a rainbow of health risks, including messing with the cognitive function of hyperactive kids, who performed poorly on tests that measured their ability to recall images, according to a U.S. study published in the journal Science.
• The three most widely used culprits—Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Red 40—contain compounds, including benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl, that research has linked with cancer.
• Additionally, some natural food colors can sometimes cause allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock in sensitive individuals.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Look for foods bearing the green-and-white USDA certified organic label, but be aware that foods labeled “made with organic ingredients” may still contain synthetic dyes.
Pick an organic brand, which means no added artificial colors, no dairy from cows treated with synthetic hormones, and no genetically modified ingredients. Even better, look for one that’s gluten- and wheat-free.
Water is your best friend during short workouts. For longer activities, you may want to supplement water intake with the new performance drink darling: natural coconut water. It’s a good source of electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium.
Ben Feingold created a popular elimination diet designed to treat hyperactivity. This diet proposes the elimination of artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives in order to decrease hyperactivity. Some studies have disproved Feingold’s theory. Nevertheless, many parents who have tried it have reported an improvement in their child’s behavior.