You may be surprised to find out that many foods commonly sold in the United States contain ingredients that are banned in countries across the world.
Potassium Bromate
Potassium bromate is added to many baked goods to strengthen the dough and improve its texture. This additive is banned in Brazil, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom for its status as a human carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. A human carcinogen is a substance that is capable of causing cancer in humans. Potassium bromate is present in many brands of bread, tortillas, cookies, and other baked items.
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
Brominated vegetable oil is found in many fruit flavored sodas. It is used to stabilize the flavoring to keep it from separating and floating to the top of the drink. BVO is thought to cause fatigue, headaches, memory loss, and have negative effects on the heart. The FDA is working on approving amendments to regulations to remove the use of BVO as an ingredient in food products. This harmful ingredient is banned in Japan and the EU. Brominated vegetable oil is found in many drinks including Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew, and Crush Pineapple.
BHA and BHT
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are used as antioxidants and preservatives in many packaged foods. These chemicals are linked to many side effects like skin irritation, disruption of hormone production, and organ system toxicity. They are banned throughout Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and Europe. BHA and BHT are often found in cereals, chips, gum, butter, and packaged meats like hot dogs, sausages, and meat patties.
Synthetic Food Dyes
Synthetic food dyes such as Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are banned in the European Union because research has shown that they could be harmful to young children. Studies have found evidence that indicates that the synthetic dyes listed above have negative effects on the attention and activity of children. Many synthetic dyes have been found to be contaminated with chemicals that are known human carcinogens. Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are found in lots of popular food products Americans consume daily: Skittles, Pop-Tarts, Jello, and Kool-Aid.
rBGH and rBST
Recombinant bovine growth hormones (rBGH), also known as recombinant bovine somatotropins (rBST), are genetically engineered protein hormones that replicate a peptide hormone made naturally by cows. This synthetic hormone is used to increase milk production. rBGH can potentially increase the risk of breast, colon, prostate cancers. The use of rBGH is banned in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, the EU, and Argentina. This man-made hormone is in many dairy products like milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, and yogurt.
Sources:
- chicagotribune.com
- eatthis.com
- everydayhealth.com
- genome.gov
- ewg.org
- scientificamerican.com
- fda.gov
- aggietranscript.ucdavis.edu
- dailymail.co.uk
- delishably.com
