Basic HTML Version
YOUR
HEALT H
are
Of
Poison and Experts
1
If
:mrone
can
bring lor.vard
¡'
comrnrtt'-e
of the
rood
J
N
mixing, heating and packaging com–
mercially prepared foods. Sorne addi–
tives are merely used to preserve the
natural color of foods. For instance,
nitrates and nitrites are used to give a
pink color
to
meats. This deceives the
housewife into thinking thc meat is
fresh or high quality when such is not
the case.
But how do nitrates affect the body?
They metabolize into nitrites which kill
off nceded intestinal bacteria.
Many additives perform no nutri–
tional function in food, whatsoever.
They only enhance thc color, or make
the product feel soft and fresh. Vege–
table dyes, for cxamplc, oftcn cause
consumers to believe thcy are obtaining
a
more wholesome product than they
really are.
Emulsi.fiers are uscd in bread as soft–
ening agents and as substitutes for nour–
ishing ingredients, replacing fats, oils
and eggs. They are chcaper. They are
also used
to
produce dcsircd tcxture.
To illustrate the declining character of
our food supply- years ago the Dclaney
Committee of Congress comparcd hvo
cake batters made by the samc company,
one made in 1939 and one in 1949. The
first batter contained 13% eggs. In stark
contrast, thc
L949
batter contained onJy
6.3% eggs, with .3% of synthetic
emulsifier addecl. When less eggs are
used, the company gcnerally uses a col-
ny
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oring dye or agent to make the product
Jook more appealing and wholesome.
But, of course, it is a fraud!
Sorne food additives, no doubt, are
harmless. But others have been proveo
to
be dangerous, or at least suspect!
Coal-tar dyes are suspected of bcíng
harmful to man in nearly any amount,
no matter how small, if consumed con–
tinually.
Severa! years ago the Surgeon General
prepared
a
report to the House Ap·
propriations Committee. The report
estimated ". . .
400-500
totally new
chemicals are put into use cach ycar.
. . . Although many commonly used
chemicals are checked for toxicity, much
is still unknown about their long-term
potential hazards."
The report asserted:
"It
is not being
overdramatic to suggest that threats
from our environment, actual and po–
te,ntial, can not only generate wholly
undesirable effects on the health and
well-being of isolated índíviduals, but
under certain circumstances could affect
large segments of our population and
conceivably threaten the very existence
of our nation" (O
m· Synthetic Envii'Oil–
ment,
p.
25).
Among these chemicals, of course,
are the food additives, presumably "safe
under the conditions of their intencled
use," according to the Food and Drug
Administration.
The fact that such additives are ad-
The controversy over food addi–
tives continues to gain momentum.
There ore
now
over 3,000 dif–
ferent chemicals used in the
production and distribution of
commercial food products. Many
are suspected of being harmful.
mittedly harmful in certain relatively
small amounts inclicates that they may
inflict sorne damage on nearly all organ–
isms ingestíng them, includíng man.
A chemical additive may be tested on
rats and dogs for about two years and
then presumed "safe" if it causes no
app~rent
damage. But animals are not
meo and such tests are not proof of
safety. Evidence that a chemical is harm–
ful may not appear for years after it has
been used in prepared foods.
The "GRAS" Líst
The Food and Drug Administration
carried cyclamates for
11
years on a list
of products "generaJJy recognízed as
safe" - often called the GRAS líst.
The líst was established in
1958
by
federal food adclitive amendments. lt
included about
680
additives, from salt,
spices, baking powder and vinegar to
synthetic chemicals. Since that time, ao
undetermined number of chemicals have
been added to it. How many?
No one seems to know.
Said Senator Jacob
K.
Javits (Repub–
lican, New York) : "lt seems like a very