U.S. food additives banned in Europe: Expert says what Americans eat is "almost certainly" ...

[sl8]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-food-additives-banned-europe-making-americans-sick-expert-says/

U.S. food additives banned in Europe: Expert says what Americans eat is "almost certainly" making them sick

evening-news
BY HOLLY WILLIAMS, ERIN LYALL
FEBRUARY 20, 2023 / 7:13 PM / CBS NEWS

London — From baguettes to focaccia, Europe is famous for its bread. But there's one ingredient conspicuously missing: Potassium bromate. It's a suspected carcinogen that's banned for human consumption in Europe, China and India, but not in the United States.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is used by some food makers, usually in the form of fine crystals or powder, to strengthen dough. It is estimated to be present in more than 100 products.

"There is evidence that it may be toxic to human consumers, that it may even either initiate or promote the development of tumors," professor Erik Millstone, an expert on food additives at England's University of Sussex, told CBS News. He said European regulators take a much more cautious approach to food safety than their U.S. counterparts.

Asked if it can be said with certainty that differences in regulations mean people in the U.S. have developed cancers that they would not have developed if they'd been eating exclusively in Europe, Millstone said that was "almost certainly the conclusion that we could reach."

[...]

[JohnSJ]

1. In California, a warning label is required when bromated flour is used. That is why people should

read the labels of the processed food they consume

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

29. warning or just listed on the label among the ingredients?

[bucolic_frolic]

2. To make more money, corporate medicine needs more patients

This is more than a health care system, it's a production line.

[Escurumbele]

6. You are 100% correct...It is a vicious cycle, the food industry feeds patients to the medical

industry, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Anyone who has been in Europe knows that a tomato in Europe does taste like a fruit, in the USA it has zero taste, and the same goes for vegetables, and other fruits.

My wife was leaving for a couple of weeks to visit my son, he and his wife had just had a baby, I would follow later. Before she left I asked her to buy me some apples, she did, brought them home. I had a few bytes of one the same day she brought them, the apple had no flavour, so I decide to throw it away. I forgot about the apples, two weeks later as I was getting ready to leave to meet my grandson, I started to look for perishables to throw away, and I found the apples. The five remaining apples looked exactly the same as they had two weeks earlier when my wife brought them. That says a lot about fruits, and food we buy in the USA, reason why "organic" is not as expensive as it seems, health issues cost a lot of money and the food and medical industry have vested interest in keeping us sick.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

18. I also tend to agree organic is not as expensive as made out...also non-animal meat.

Who benefits from projecting expense as reason not to buy organic? Or not to buy non -animal meat? Big Food, Big Meat, and the Big Media they all cultivate like vegetables fertilized by Big Ads.

Westerners pay a fraction of their income on Industrial Food compared to The Rest of The World, organic prices are the real cost, without chemicals, the rest of the eats, by necessity.

Cheap or sick, your choice? If you have one.

[gab13by13]

19. I eat organic, it isn't a guarantee against pesticides

but it is a buffer against RoundUp.

Organic food tastes so much better than GMO, what a difference with the milk.

[ananda]

28. Same. Nothing processed, and no grains but oatmeal.

So far so good.

[2naSalit]

8. +1

[Ferrets are Cool]

16. Since wifey got cancer(s) I truely believe this to be true.

It is so frustrating.

[malaise]

3. Saw this on CBS last night

Market over society -people are dispensable
That is all

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

4. When I lived in the U.S.

I exclusively use a rather famous bromated flour for my bread baking. Was shocked when I moved to England to discover it was banned here. Now I use Canadian strong flour for bread.

[AllyCat]

5. Bromine is not a safe additive for food. I see it everywhere

And do not buy food that contains it. We have no idea what we are getting when we eat out though.

[2naSalit]

9. +1

[LittleGirl]

7. In this house we make everything from scratch.

With my husband going vegetarian and my food intolerances (too many to list), we cook very often. We batch cook. I hate it but we just can’t bring ourselves to eat processed food. If and when we eat out, we have stomach issues. They are poisoning us with food and we have to demand clean ingredients and fresh cooking. Not frozen. Raw meats and veggies cooked before meals. Stop eating “frankenfood” mystery sauces…cook every meal yourself.

Eat good food, avoid the doctor.

[2naSalit]

10. I cook about 85% of my food myself...

But as a single person it's difficult. When I do et out, I have a couple specific places where I know what they use, like the healthfood store that also makes a couple fresh soups and four entrees for lunch everyday, I eat there when I don't have the energy to feed myself in time before bad things happen.

[LittleGirl]

17. I know! We do the same

I’ve beefed cooking meals for 50 years and I’m so over it but my health is affected when I eat frankenfood.

[2naSalit]

20. Same here.

Once I got off the road I had total control over my dietary options so I went with organics and never looked back. Now that I'm old, I am thankful I was able to do that, my arthritis will probably kill me but the rest of my body isn't doing too bad. I also had to be a cook in commercial kitchens for a spell, cured me from restaurant food. When I did have a kitchen where I had control over food content, I used the "cleanest" ingredients I could find within my budget. I cooked for the senior lunch program in my community at the time and I knew my clientele so I told them at the very beginning that I would never serve them anything that I wouldn't eat. And I sat at one of the tables and ate lunch with them. By then I was starving since I fired up the kitchen around 6am and had a few hours of clean up before my day was done. I gained a lot of trust from the elders of our tiny town, some who made their livelihoods as restaurateurs. I felt accomplished about it since cooking was not what I had ever planned for, I cook for myself and friends but I never ran a kitchen before I was 50.

[Lonestarblue]

11. From past travels, I know the food in Europe is safer.

I have food intolerances in the US, yet I have been able to eat many of the same types of foods in Europe with no ill effects. Aside from fewer chemicals, I also enjoyed foods without a ton of sugar. Even savory foods here have sugar added for no reason other than the desire of the foods industry to hook consumers on sweets.

[Sanity Claws]

15. Same here

When I was in Ireland, I ate a lot yogurt, loved it, and did well on it. In the US, I avoid all dairy because of digestive problems.

[Johnny2X2X]

22. Italy

Spent 3 weeks in Italy. Looked for out of the way places to eat. The biggest thing was the absence of bloating. Dinner is a big production in Italy, there are many courses and you spend a longer time eating them. And at the end, because you ate fresh ingredients and ate at a more leisurely pace, you didn't feel bloated and tired after the meal. It was very noticeable, after a meal you'd feel great instead of tired and bloated. And you'd think that you'd just eaten a ton of food, you were full, but not bloated.

The way Americans eat, and what they eat is just harmful and is all in the name of profits.

[phylny]

12. I don't bake a lot, but

I did look up the flower that I use, King Arther Flour, and it appears it does not contain it:

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/pro/reference/bromate

[mainer]

13. Thanks! That's the flour I use

I love the King Arthur website and I’ve ordered a number of products from them. I’ve bought silicone rolling mats for all my friends as gifts.

[womanofthehills]

30. I use King Arthur organic flour & Arrowhead Mills organic

I make sourdough bread every week. My other half is gluten free but the sourdough bread agrees with him. King Arthur also has 00 Pizza flour for a superfine crust. I make mini individual pizzas with 00 flour and sourdough starter - Yum.

I like to bake and cook. I eat all organic including only organic free range chicken and grass fed beef.

[Joinfortmill]

14. Thanks for this

[Johnny2X2X]

21. We have a toxic food supply

I am old enough to have seen the transformation from the 70s to the 80s.

I remember the 70s, people didn't watch what they were eating and they didn't exercise all that much either. Running was more of a niche back then. Gyms and fitness clubs weren't even a thing save for maybe in California. Heck, most high school sports didn't even have weight lifting programs. But people in general were skinny. Most people didn't even know what dieting was until Weight Watchers came about. Most people just ate basic meals and were healthy.

It was the food supply. The industrial food industry took off and with little regulation poisoned our food supply in the name of profits. From added sugar, to preservatives, it was all in pursuit of bigger margins. And now we have a population who, through no fault of their own, are sick, obese, and blame themselves for all of it.

I refuse to believe for a minute that people today have less self discipline than people in the 70s and before. People then just didn't have to worry about diet and exercise as much because they weren't being poisoned by our food supply.

[Hekate]

26. This

[GenThePerservering]

33. We sit on our butts a lot more for one thing

Miles per capita DRIVEN has skyrocketed. I know people who drive one mile to work. ONE MILE.

(excuses and mystories for doing this in 3..2..1...)

[Sky Jewels]

34. Also, continuous snacking was normalized in the 80s.

Before that, most people had three meals a day, and maybe dessert. And kids had after school snacks.

But, suddenly, we started shoveling food into our mouths at all waking hours. I was as guilty as anyone.

Luckily I have a pretty healthy diet now, and I limit my eating to an 8-hour window most days, but, damn. It’s so easy to find tasty things to snack on.

[Skittles]

36. people didn't sit for hours back then binge-watching TV and gaming

I remember that.....

what kills me is, the same people who do that now will tell you with a straight face they simply cannot find time to exercise

[The Jungle 1]

23. PFAS Chemicals are contained in many products we use and cook with

Cleaning products.
Water-resistant fabrics, such as rain jackets, umbrellas and tents.
Grease-resistant paper.
Nonstick cookware.
Personal care products, like shampoo, dental floss, nail polish, and eye makeup.
Stain-resistant coatings used on carpets, upholstery, and other fabrics.

PFAS chemicals are dangerous, forever chemicals. They were created by DuPont and will most likely be another Asbestos.
Dupont knew they were dangerous and informed no one!

Corporate America does not care about us. Republicans do not care about us.

[live love laugh]

24. Great thread. Bookmarking bc it's a topic I've wanted to delve into deeper.

[mzmolly]

25. Pretty bad when China

does better on the regulation front.

[area51]

27. It's because US citizens are disposable, as mentioned upthread.

It's the same reason why we'll never get universal healthcare.

[Texasgal]

31. Interesting...Not surprised.

Look at life expectancy and less obesity in these countries. It'll tell you everything you need to know.

[niyad]

32. KNR and bookmarking. For later.

[Tree Lady]

35. Makes me feel better about the money

I spend at organic bakery. No preservatives after a few days I freeze rest of loaf. They make about 15 different kinds and put in a slicer. I got basil sun dried tomatoes this week. I usually get 9 grain.

[DFW]

37. High Fructose Corn Syrup isn't used here, either

I've only seen it in the USA. When we're in the States, I look at the ingredients of everything that could possibly contain it, and leave everything on the shelf that does.

Bread definitely tastes better here, too. It doesn't stay fresh as long, but that's because the bread here isn't full of chemicals that enable that. It's a price we gladly pay for unpoisoned bread.