Healthier McDonald’s Options Available in Europe, but Not in the US
The Epoch Times verified that U.S. McDonald’s fries contain 10 or more ingredients, while the UK version has three or more ingredients.
Legal Loophole Allows Unsafe Ingredients
“The problem is the law—there’s nothing that requires the industry to submit safety data,” Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, told The Epoch Times.“As a result, companies can just self-regulate and designate ingredients as GRAS [generally recognized as safe] without notifying the FDA or the public.”
Companies can self-designate substances as GRAS based on their own evaluations, with limited oversight from the FDA.
Notably, potentially harmful chemicals, such as azodicarbonamide, a chemical used in bread that has been linked to cancer in animal studies and is banned in several countries, remain legal in the United States because of the GRAS principle.
“In other countries, this is the same chemical they use in yoga mats and shoe rubber. ... when this chemical is heated, studies show that it turns into a carcinogen,” Hari said. This ingredient was previously used in Subway bread until Hari petitioned the company and successfully got it removed.
500 Percent Rise in Food Dye Consumption
Another concern discussed at the Senate roundtable is the significant rise in artificial food dye consumption, particularly among U.S. children.Using Kellogg’s as a case study, Hari pointed out the difference between U.S. and Canadian cereals. The Canadian version of Fruit Loops is colored naturally with juice from watermelons and carrots, while the U.S. version contains artificial dyes and preservatives, she said.
“Kellogg’s announced plans to remove dyes by the end of 2018 but never followed through,” Hari said, contrasting the neon-colored version with the less-colorful, pastel one.
FDA and Congress Can Do More
Hari has called for stricter regulations and greater transparency with ingredient lists to protect consumers, especially children.“Asking food companies to remove artificial dyes would make an immediate impact on children’s health,” Hari wrote in an email to The Epoch Times. “They don’t need to reinvent the wheel, as they are already using natural alternatives in other countries.”
Pomeranz and Mozaffarian propose several policy recommendations, including requiring companies to notify the FDA of how they determined that a substance is GRAS and to share their safety data before adding substances to foods. Additionally, increased funding from Congress is needed to enable the FDA to extend its reach.
They also advocate for a stricter review process for both GRAS ingredients and food additives to ensure that substances such as caffeine, sugar, and salt are safe—not just in small amounts—but also at the higher levels found in many processed foods.
“There is widespread agreement that current [food additive] levels in many products are not ’recognized as safe,'” Pomeranz said on Sept. 25 during the FDA public meeting on improving the FDA’s review process for food chemicals.
Excessive amounts can lead to serious health risks, she said.
A Safer Food Supply
As food safety concerns grow, the FDA launched a new Human Foods Program on Oct. 1 to reorganize its operations and implement other improvements, including a proposed post-market review of food additives and GRAS substances to increase transparency and improve safety evaluations.The agency will also consider state-level regulations on certain food products.
This approach suggests that state-level actions, such as California’s recent restriction of certain food dyes, could influence the FDA’s future assessments.
Pomeranz said that a more robust review process is needed, not just for existing ingredients but also for any new additives.
However, consumers also need to be involved, Hari said. After she uncovered potentially toxic ingredients in Starbucks’s popular pumpkin spice lattes, media attention prompted Starbucks to remove an ammonia-derived ingredient linked to cancer.
Public pressure can help drive changes for safer food options, Hari said.
“It’s time for consumers to demand healthier choices and for the FDA to prioritize public health,” she said.
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
Reposted from: https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/you-can-get-a-healthier-mcdonalds-in-the-uk-food-advocate-5731851
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