ABSTRACT: While we have enormous choices of the kinds of food we have available to eat, do we really know just what we're eating and more important, is it safe?
CONTENT: It would be nearly impossible for me to write an in-depth article concerning the food we eat and the safety factors in one contained article, therefore, I plan to write a series of which this is Part I.
This series is meant to be a basic overview of all aspects of the food industry, not just one and I hope to touch base with each issue concerning our food supply. I will provide as many links to articles about the food industry, the same ones I've been reading up on while doing my research should one decide to do a more in-depth research on their own on all the topics I touch here in my series. There have been many factors that have inspired me to write such a series of articles, some of which I have known about for years but never really thought of doing my own in-depth research until fairly recently. What kept running through my mind as I continued to read one article after another, I began asking myself, why did we as a collective whole, turn a simple thing like food and how it is grown, raised or processed into something so complicated and not necessarily for the better and in many cases downright unhealthy? Why despite our so-called sophisticated technology do we hear of more and more recalls of foods due to E. coli, salmonella, or listeria contamination? Not one week goes by without some major recall of food, and not just food for humans, but for pets as well. In the past there have been recalls of tomatoes, peanut butter, lettuce, spinach, blueberries, cantaloupes, eggs, ground turkey, ground beef, frozen beef patties, and those are the "major" ones that are announced on the news; there have been scores of other foods that are recalled that the average American doesn't even know about, unless that is, one is subscribed to the USDA recall page itself here. Another thing that also cropped up in my mind, the more I read, the more I honestly began believing that the only way I could be certain what was safe to eat would be for me to literally go out and buy my own farm and raise everything myself, or to completely forget about ever buying any foods or meats unless it was one-hundred percent organic or humanely raised; this isn't just a sentiment of mine, but with others I've been discussing this with. Unfortunately, for most of us, neither solution is practical; we all can't run out and get our own farms, nor can we expect to always buy everything "organic" since the vast majority of food in supermarkets are commercially grown and/or raised, and there is also the cost factor as organic or humanely raised foods are so much more expensive.
When we walk into a supermarket we are literally bombarded with every kind of food imaginable, and not only your "typical" expected food products that the "American" diet consists of, but often we can find foods from around the world and from every culture. Gone are the days where one could only eat fruits and vegetables that were in season, such as was in the case of say in my great-grandparents or grandparents time. Back in those times, if one wanted foods year round not in season, one had to resort to "canning" food, that is, going through the time-consuming process of blanching/preparing the food and store in glass Mason jars. Today, we take it for granted that we can buy fruits and vegetables not in season in our own country year round due to them being grown in other countries where they are in season.
In your supermarket, you will find row upon row of select enticing array of meats carefully arranged and beautifully wrapped up in their packages. Don't want a whole chicken or turkey? No problem, you can choose from just drumsticks, either with skin or not, or breasts (again skin or not), ground chicken and/or turkey, chicken and/or turkey wings. The list of select cuts of beef, pork, duck and other meats are also endless. However, does the average person actually know how most farm animals for food consumption are raised?
Then of course are the overwhelming and staggering selections of frozen foods, from vegetables, fruits, entree upon entree of self-contained whole dinners for one person or family sized, pizzas, and even frozen foods that are more "vegetarian/vegan" friendly.
With all this food at our fingertips, it all sounds like sheer heaven, doesn't it? The question is though, do you really know with firm conviction what exactly is in your food, whether fresh produce, meats or processed foods? Is it really enough for instance, to read labels of processed foods to see what ingredients are contained in them? And more important do you even understand what those all ingredients are without needing a Ph.D in chemistry? Also, did you know that with the labeling of food products here in America, companies are NOT obligated to alert the American consumer if their food product contains GE/GMO ingredients, while such labeling exists in other countries? (1) (2) If you don't know what GE/GEO means, you'll find out in this series of articles of mine.
I think the goal of many of us is to naturally eat as healthy as possible, and thus hopefully are probably more aware of what is in the food we eat, or are we? To give an example, today's consumer may be cutting down on any food that contains high levels of saturated fats due to all the past studies of the health risks; but what about those other ingredients in foods that we may have been eating or drinking for years that also pose possible health risks, and yet still remain in our foods?
The real irony of it all, is that government agencies such as the FDA, USDA and EPA which are supposed to protect us and be "watchdogs" for the well being and safety for its people still allows all too many unsafe, unhealthy practices to continue in the food industry world and despite any scientific evidence found, public input, or protests in the matter continues to be listened to these agencies with deaf ears.
THE SAFETY FACTOR OF PROCESSED FOOD CONTAINERS
Before I examine what ingredients in our foods may pose a health risk or hazard to us, I have to touch on the subject of just how safe the containers our commercially processed foods are kept in, that is, canned foods and the foods or drinks in plastic containers. Gone are the days when a person could purchase some processed food or drink that were in glass containers of any kind, from bottles to jars. I remember vividly as a child we had milk delivered to us and it was in glass bottles; once used, we'd left the empty bottles in front of our door and the milkman would pick them up to be reused and he'd give us new bottles of milk. Sodas, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressings, relishes, even baby bottles were all made of glass years ago. Glass posed an on-going problem however, for as let's face it, glass is heavier than plastic and of course, breakable, also when glass was the primary container for foods or drinks decades ago, the concept of recycling them didn't exist then as it does now.
The plastic world isn't as new as one would think, in fact the first form of plastic was invented circa 1862, however it wasn't until 1947 that the first plastic bottle was made, but widespread use wasn't utilized until the 1960s (3). In today's world, it's nearly impossible to find processed food products in glass jars or bottles, but are our processed foods safe in such plastic containers? Back in 2008, I wrote my own article expressing my viewpoints over the safety factor of plastic containers. I not only included and explained in detail the various forms of plastics being used for holding processed food products, but I also indicated the great possibility that no matter what type of plastic was being used the chemical make-up of plastic could leach into our foods over a period of time(4).
While there are a variety of types of plastic containers that are used to store our processed food and drinks, and are given numbers from 1 to 7, the most toxic of all plastics is the #7, known as Bisphenol A, or simply known as BPA. Some years ago, there was great concern due to the fact that baby bottles were made out of BPA plastic. Today's parents can opt for BPA-free bottles, yet baby bottles made from BPA have yet to completely banned. Over the years despite the fact that more evidence keeps cropping up about the dangers of this rather lethal form of plastic and the health risks it can cause (5) it is still being used as the lining of cans of powdered and liquid infant formula.(6) BPA is also found as a lining in canned goods, anywhere from processed soups and meals, such as chili, stews, ravioli, (including single serving microwaveable containers), tomato paste and sauce, pie fillings, and also canned vegetables and fruits, juices, and soda. (7) (8)
What does the FDA have to say about the safety factor of BPA in our processed foods?
From what I've been reading it seems the FDA is aware of the health risks with the usage of BPA, yet they still contend no conclusive evidence has been found to ban it completely. The FDA itself even has suggestions and guidelines on how to minimize BPA exposure (10). The known health risks involved with exposure due to foods or drinks stored in BPA containers range from an increase risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes just to name a few (11) (12).
All in all, the FDA's contention that BPA is still safe shouldn't surprise any of us. Throughout my series of articles I will reveal that time and time again, the FDA maintains that any and all food industry practices that are used are safe despite continuing growing evidence on the contrary. If I sound like a cynic about the FDA, I am. And so should you.
A Possible Ban On All Products With BPA?
Despite all the evidence pointing to the dangers of BPA usage throughout the years, I can't help thinking that It seems rather odd to me that the USA is lagging behind in completely banning BPA products, while Canada, Denmark, China and most European countries, such as France have banned it completely. One step in the right direction however, is that the Campbell Soup Company, which turns out to have the highest levels of BPA found in their canned foods, recently announced that it does plan to ban the usage of lining it's cans with BPA, yet the company still contends that BPA poses no serious health risks. (13)
And now for the very latest news which I recently came across: the FDA is now considering a complete banning of BPA in all products where it has been used and is to make their decision soon. All I can say is, it's about time. However, before anyone can breathe a sigh of relief, it could take years before BPA is completely phased out and eliminated completely, after all, just think how many products are out there that still have BPA. One nagging question I have though, what will BPA be replaced by, and more important, will it be safer? Only time will tell.
SOURCES
Labeling Foods That Have GE/GMO Ingredients:
Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods (2)
History of Plastics and Safety Factors:
Glass Bottles (3)
Natural News Article about BPA (5)
The Daily Green Article About BPA (7)
BPA In Canned Soups and Drinks (8)
Plastic Safety (9)
BPA Dangers(11)
Obesity and Diabetes Link with BPA (12)
Campbell Soup Company To Eliminate BPA(13)
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