Posted on 06/11/2015 11:06:05 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Health groups are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban eight synthetic flavors in food that are known carcinogens.
The petition, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said the flavors, which have been used for over 40 years, are found in ice cream, candy, baked goods and beverages.
The petition asks FDA to revoke its 1964 approval that allowed seven of the eight flavorings to be used in food and overturn the industrys 1974 self-approval of the eighth synthetic flavor, which they assert can be used under a loophole in the law for chemicals that are generally recognized as safe.
Health groups who joined NRDC on the petition include the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Center for Food Safety, Consumers Union, Improving Kids Environment and the Center for Environmental Health, the Environmental Working Group and Dr. James Huff, the former associate director for chemical carcinogenesis at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences signed the petition.
Research by the National Institutes of Healths National Toxicology Program found that each of the eight flavors causes cancer in humans and animals, NRDC said.
Consumers are vulnerable, the government isnt doing its job and the food industry is calling the shots, Erik Olson, director of NRDCs Health Program said in a news release. The FDA should be doing much more to ensure our food is safe, and that should start with obeying the law by banning these synthetic flavorings known to cause cancer in animals, rather than just continuing to let the food industry have its way.
The flavors include Benzophenone, are also known as diphenylketone;Ethyl acrylate; Eugenyl methyl ether, also known as 4-allylveratrole or methyl eugenol; Myrcene, also known as 7-methyl-3-methylene-1,6-octadiene; Pulegone, also known as p-menth-4(8)-en-3-one; Pyridine; Styrene; and Trans,trans-2,4-hexadienal.
Nanny State PING!
Steyrene sounds really good.....
you can have my 7-methyl-3-methylene-1 when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands...just not the same ring...
Eat real food.
What scary sounding chemical names. No description of what the flavor actually is, just scary sounding names. And no mention of how much of the product you would have to ingest and for how long before any harm.
Ummm....those are all chemicals. Not food flavors.
A food flavor is...bananna, bacon, cherry, chocolate, vanilla, etc...
I think they meant “flavorings.”
Then quit giving them to animals.
eugenol is clove
When the Center for Science in the Public Interest is involved, there is often a hefty dose of BS involved.
In fact, everything is a chemical, including water.
You can't get away from it.
/johnny
Agreed...and I knew someone of you caliber would pick up on that and take me to task the moment I posted it.
What I should have posted was 'artificial chemical compounds' rather than just 'chemicals'.
Some of these are nothing more than odd essential oils distilled from plants. Most are not used in food. This is mostly just crap science as carcinogenisis is only at high doses in rats with extrapolation to humans at low doses.
Looking at this list of supporters I am going to call fraud.
I have no trouble with governments on the STATE level banning non-food ingredients from being in foods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzophenone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_acrylate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_eugenol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrcene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulegone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyridine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene
http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1026221.html
Yep. That’s some mighty fine eatin right there! How DARE ANYONE even consider infringing on my right as a food manufacturer to douse the crap I sell with even worse crap like those DELICIOUS SYNTHETIC chemicals!
I want to be able to order them on my Ice Cream Cone like sprinkle candy.
MMmmm I would like a Medium Vanilla Cone with Triple Ethyl Methyl Styrene Pyridine topping. Oh and a 2 Liter Diet Coke to wash it down.
I know a person that does Inspections for the State Dept. of Ag. and if you knew the stuff produce gets soaked, sprayed and coated with to clean and preserve it you would not go near it.
DHMO is a chemical, too.
It's deadly! It's found in industrial degreasers!
Why, oh Dear Heavens, WHY do we allow them to put it in ice cream? Childrens' Ice Cream!!!!
It needs to be banned!
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