What Your Lunch and a Tire Have in Common
Imagine yourself biting into a freshly made sandwich. Pick your favorite (mine is PB&J). You notice the bread’s fluffy texture and the perfectly formed air bubbles. Nothing could ruin this moment. Not even the fact that the same ingredient used to give the bread those qualities you admired just a second ago is also commonly found in rubbers and plastics.
Wait… what???
It’s hard to keep up with the constant barrage of health and wellness trends. One day it’s gluten-free, the next day it’s non-GMO, the day after that it’s vegan. I’m getting whiplash! But according to a study done by the American Heart Association in 2019, the majority of consumers don’t look out for harmful ingredients in the food they buy. In an era where we seem to care more and more about staying fit and healthy and where information is more accessible than ever before, why aren’t we paying attention to the food we’re putting in our body?
Now back to our sandwich. Still thinking about that ingredient? It’s called azodicarbonamide. It’s been linked to respiratory issues, allergies, and asthma by the World Health Organization, and it’s banned in Europe. So does that mean we’re in the clear? Not so fast. It’s permitted by the Food and Drug Administration, so in the United States you can expect to find this ingredient in certain flours, grains, rice, baked goods, and chewing gum. The point of this story is not to scare you, but rather to make the case for being a more informed consumer when it comes to your food.
You may be wondering why the burden is being placed on you to keep yourself safe from the food you eat, and not on the government or on the food industry. I’ve been wondering the same thing for years. In the European Union, chemicals are not allowed on the market until they’re proven safe, but in the United States it’s the reverse: chemicals are typically considered safe until proven harmful. If we can’t rely on the government, then we have no choice but to accept responsibility for our own food choices. And consumers have the power to fight back. When a consumer food blogger brought to light that Subway, McDonald’s and other major chains were using azodicarbonamide in their products, many of these companies announced that they’d eliminate the use of this compound, and the media attention put additional pressure on the FDA and on Congress to take action.
As we all know, the road to meaningful societal change is long and winding. So what can you do in the mean time to make sure you’re making the best choices for you and your family? First, educate yourself. Take the time to learn about the harmful ingredients commonly found in food. Second, be an informed consumer. Read ingredient lists any time you purchase a new food product. Keep an eye out for these harmful ingredients, and look up any ingredients you don’t recognize. Third, be skeptical. Don’t accept food marketing at face value. Just because that box of Cheerios says that it’s “Heart Healthy” doesn’t mean that it actually is. Lastly, have fun! Cook meals from scratch with friends and family instead of buying packaged processed food and remember, knowledge is power!