“Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise.” –Mike Adams. Two things that could possibly be considered as “toxic food ingredients” are food preservatives and food additives. Food preservatives and additives are common ingredients that many people in the United States may not always pay close attention to. Food preservatives are defined as “any of a group of chemical preservatives that the FDA classifies as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) food additives” (“Food Preservative”). **Food additives are ingredients added to the original food item to improve an aspect of that food, like color, taste, or visual appearance (Henochowicz).** Foods made with preservatives and/or additives are sometimes referred to as “processed food.” This simply means that the food item contains these extra, un-natural ingredients. Some people may have noticed a few complicated words on the list of ingredients for the food item they purchased, like azodicarbonamide and ethoxylated monoglycerides. Sounds like something people want to eat, right? Probably not knowingly, anyway. Chances are, if the ingredient is difficult to read or pronounce, and sounds like something **kept in a science lab for a chemical experiment, it is most likely a processed ingredient or unnaturally produced. Chemicals used in food products might not be the best choice for someone who is seeking a healthy option, especially if certain chemicals have been associated with health risks. ** Why should people care about this or raise awareness about these ingredients in the foods they are eating? Although preservatives and additives can be beneficial to human health by doing things like keeping food fresh longer and preventing spoilage, the negative health effects of these ingredients outweigh the good. Food preservatives and additives can be helpful and convenient, but without awareness or proper regulation from the FDA they can become detrimental to human health. 

Before using the modern preservatives in foods today, people would use various techniques to preserve their food. “Food by its nature begins to spoil the moment it is harvested. Food preservation enabled ancient man to make roots and live in one place and form a community. He no longer had to consume the kill or harvest immediately, but could preserve some for later use” (Nummer). **The use of food preservation changed ancient civilizations, allowing them to live in one place instead of constantly traveling to hunt for fresh food. With preservation, people could keep food at their disposal for the first time.** These ancient techniques utilized the natural resources around them instead of pumping the food with chemicals. Anything from fish and meat to fruits and vegetables could be dried and preserved by sunlight. Freezing could be used in locations with freezing temperatures, and people could keep their food outdoors or in streams, much like modern freezers. An additional technique was pickling, where food is submerged in vinegar, *or also known as acetic acid* (Nummer). “Vinegar is produced from starches or sugars fermented first to alcohol and then the alcohol is oxidized by certain bacteria to acetic acid” (Nummer). People also used canning, which is still used today. Once the food was placed into a sealed jar, it was heated high enough that the temperature killed any microorganisms (Nummer). These effective techniques included no processed food, artificial flavoring, or dangerous chemicals that threatened human health, making it a reasonable assumption that the questionable modern, chemical preservation techniques could be completely eliminated. 

**How prevalent are food preservatives and additives in foods consumed in the United States?** “About 90 percent of the money that Americans spend on food is used to buy processed food” (Schlosser 121).  *    Almost ninety percent of money for food is spent on foods made with preservatives and additives! Why is this so common? A major reason foods made with these ingredients are so common is because people want to eat food that tastes good. Flavor * separates each restaurant from the next; they all have different flavor profiles, making different people have different “favorite” restaurants. 

For example, someone may love McDonald’s and hate Wendy’s, and the next person may love Wendy’s and hate McDonald’s. It does not make much sense when comparing the two largely successful fast-food chains. Examining the menus from both restaurants side-by-side, they are almost identical. Both companies make hamburgers, french fries, chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and even offer salads. The only difference is the taste, the spices, the physical appearance, and the additives. For example, McDonald’s french fries are not made from secret, super potatoes that make them taste better than the fries Wendy’s makes. “McDonald’s cooked its french fries in a mixture of about 7 percent soy oil and 93 percent beef tallow. The mix gave the fries their unique flavor -- and more saturated beef fat per ounce than a McDonald’s hamburger” (Schlosser 120). Therefore, it is not really people’s favorite foods that distinguish their preference in restaurants, it is the flavor, or the additives. This popularity and desire of “flavorful” additives are what drives the existence of preservatives and additives, keeping it an ongoing issue to human health. This “popularity and desire” of foods with additives and preservatives is also fueled by accessibility through fast-food restaurants. 

***In 2014, “Subway, the nationwide chain of sandwich shops, announced it would remove from its baked breads a possible carcinogen also found in yoga mats and the rubber soles of shoes” (Imus). This ingredient is azodicarbonamide (ADA), an ingredient used as a “whitening agent” and “dough conditioner” (“Food Additives & Ingredients - Frequently Asked Questions on Azodicarbonamide (ADA)”). This announcement can be a little scary considering that Subway seems like the most unlikely culprit of unhealthy foods in fast-food chains, especially when someone can personally watch their sandwich being made from what appears to be “fresh” ingredients. Why is ADA in Subway’s bread in the first place? Is ADA a necessary ingredient? According to the FDA, “the use of ADA as a whitening agent and dough conditioner is not necessary to make bread and there are alternative ingredients approved for use available” (“Food Additives & Ingredients - Frequently Asked Questions on Azodicarbonamide (ADA)”. This unnecessary ingredient is known to cause respiratory problems, disrupt the immune system, as well as a multitude of other complications. In addition, Subway is not the only restaurant known for using ADA (Group). Other fast-food chains “include McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A” (Group). ADA is only one of the many types of chemicals used in food products sold by fast-food chains. However, none of these chemicals are widely broadcasted on the menus of these restaurants. The public cannot rely on these restaurants to disclose their use of dangerous chemicals; therefore, personal awareness is key to knowing what one is consuming.  ***

Burgers and fries are probably the first fast-food items to come to mind when considering preservatives and additives, but what about other menu items like desserts? These items may be unexpected. “A typical artificial strawberry flavor, like the kind found in a Burger King strawberry milk shake, contains the following ingredients: amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, . . .” (Schlosser 125-126) along with thirty-one additional ingredients of the same nature. This is pretty different that the traditional “ice-cream and milk only” milkshake recipe. How likely is it that an average person would think that a milkshake could contain this many ingredients, and how many could even identify the ingredients used?    *   This issue addresses the matter of the American public having proper awareness regarding preservatives and additives. Why does the public need to be aware? The government regulates the production of these ingredients in popular chains like Burger King, right?

***People may be wondering how the government can allow restaurants and grocery stores to legally sell potentially dangerous products. Why is the government choosing to loosely regulate the use of preservatives and additives? The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carries the responsibility of overseeing food safety regulation for the United States. This role was assigned to the FDA by Congress in in 1958 (Walker). “However, since 1997, the FDA does not require food companies to report what additives and the amount they are putting into food products, as long as the company has decided the additive is ‘generally recognized as safe’ or GRAS” (Walker). “Generally recognized as safe” is an extremely loose term for companies to do whatever they want. This transfers the power of food safety and regulation from the government to any food company out there, which means the ingredients in many products can be detrimental to human health. Ingredients like artificial food colorings, arsenic used in U.S. chicken production, potassium bromate used as an additive in bread, olean used in chips, and growth hormones used in U.S. milk production are all banned in other countries but legal in the United States. All of these ingredients have been linked to serious illnesses like cancer and organ abnormalities (Walker). 

*******The FDA’s process of regulation is not shared with other countries. *** When Subway removed azodicarbonamide from the bread they used for their subs, they did not have to remove it from the bread in Australian and European stores (Imus). This was because azodicarbonamide has been made illegal to use in food products in Australia, the United Kingdom, and a majority of other European countries (Walker). The list of ingredients that are legal in the U.S., but illegal in other countries is a long and concerning one. These ingredients include but are not limited to: artificial food colorings, arsenic, BHA and BHT, growth hormones, and brominated vegetable oil (Walker). “Bromine is a chemical that used for preventing carpets from catching on fire. It is also an additive in some Pepsi product such as Mountain Dew. Bromine is illegal to use in food in more than 100 countries” (Walker). The stark contrast between America’s food regulation and other countries’ regulation raises the question, how can the United States of America allow these ingredients if they are so dangerous? Do they actually pose a threat?***

***The FDA allows so many Americans to consume food made with preservatives and additives with such little regulation, exposing citizens to health risks. The question is, what kind of health risks do these ingredients pose? “The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists hundreds of approved additives, however there are few clinical studies to show if many of them are safe for human consumption. The studies that exist are often inadequate to assess the degree of risks” (Ruddock). In other words, the FDA “regulates” ingredients with little proof that the ingredients should be approved or not. Through mainly animal-based testing, preservatives and additives have been shown to cause cancer, asthma, allergic reactions, bowel symptoms, preterm delivery, attention deficit disorder (ADD), resistance to antibiotics, heart disease, and more. If the FDA is aware of the links between these health issues and the certain preservative or additive, they continue to allow the ingredient in small quantities, although there have been no studies to show side effects of these ingredients taken in small quantities over an extending period of time. Ingredients like butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, artificial sweeteners, and eugenol, used in gum and soda, are specifically linked to cancer in rats (Ruddock). ***

***An additional area of concern about the FDA’s regulation is how multiple additives or preservatives in a food item work together (Ruddock). Ruddock says, “Together, substances can potentially be additive or interact with each other and produce side chemicals which may be more hazardous to your health” (Ruddock). The amount of unknown information regarding the dangers of preservatives and additives creates a blind-spot for the American people who depend on the government to keep them safe.***

***However, no matter what the FDA regulates, a simple solution to avoid these health risks is to make citizens aware of these risks. If the American people have an elevated sense of awareness regarding preservatives and additives, they can better control their eating habits. For example, unnatural additives can be substituted for natural ones like salt, wine, herbs, and spices. These ingredients are healthier when used in appropriate amounts. One way to ensure natural additives are being used is for the person to be involved in the preparation of their food. For example, when personally making a meal by hand, ingredients are purchased in a grocery store and then brought home. Although some pre-packaged ingredients may be processed themselves, at least all items included in the meal are somewhat accounted for and a person is aware of how their food is being prepared (Walker). “Although preparing meals at home can require more time, taking the extra time for cooking would save the American people from consuming harmful additives which were never intended for humans to eat and can have serious effects on people’s health” (Walker). So, if someone is frying their food in beef tallow like McDonald’s fries, at least they are aware of it and can control the amounts they consume (Schlosser).***

***Using natural and organic products to substitute the unnatural and healthy ones can be much more expensive than processed ones, and for a lot of families eating fast-food is considerably cheaper. However, there are solutions to try to cut back on exposure to preservatives and additives. Paying attention to ingredients in processed foods may help to notice how frequent someone is eating unwanted additives. According to pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene through Healthy Child Healthy World, the additives to especially avoid are things like artificial colors, sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup (“How to Avoid Food Additives & Preservatives”). Limiting packaged foods and eating whole foods like vegetables and grains also reduce intake of unhealthy and unnecessary ingredients (“How to Avoid Food Additives & Preservatives”). These healthier choices are not necessarily more expensive than processed foods. For example, according to Walmart.com, a three-pound bag of apples is $3.84, while one bag of Lay’s potato chips is $2.98. For something like dinner, a family of three could purchase a package of Tyson all natural chicken breasts and a can of green beans for $3.43 and $0.68 respectively. For a more expensive price, a family could purchase a bag of Tyson chicken fries and Ore-Ida fries for $9.58 and $5.98 respectively. Healthy and natural food do not have to be more expensive than fast-food. Planning meals and simply looking for healthy solutions can save money and provide health benefits.****

However, food preservatives and additives can be helpful in certain aspects when used properly. For instance, the grocery store can benefit from selling products made with preservatives. Preservatives help food stay on shelves longer, allowing more time to be bought and make a profit. If food expires on the shelves quickly and customers do not purchase them in time, the food must be disposed of and money is lost. Or, the food is bought and disposed of in a household because it was not consumed quickly enough. This would eventually waste a lot of money for both grocery stores and families purchasing the food. People would have to go to the grocery store almost every day to buy fresh food and use it before it spoiled naturally (Nelsen). 

The preservatives allow food to resist natural spoilage for a longer amount of time than they would naturally be able to. Food spoils quickly due to microbes (bacteria and fungi) and oxidation, which is “chemical change in the foods molecules caused by enzymes or free radicals which turn fats rancid and brown produce like apples and potatoes” (Nelsen). Bacteria can be used to prevent this spoilage by producing lactic acid, which are used in things like yogurt. This bacteria is actually healthy and useful in regulating the digestive system (Nelsen). 

Using preservatives in food can also lower the world’s food waste. It is common for people to buy food from the grocery store, put it away in their cabinets, and forget about it for several months. By the time they remember it, they have missed the expiration date by a couple of weeks and have to throw the uneaten food away. Now imagine if the food did not have preservatives in it at all; food would be thrown out daily unless a family bought fresh ingredients from day-to-day. 

In a quote from Environmental Nutrition, “‘We are losing up to 50 percent of our food supply around the world due to food waste. We’re in a bit of a conundrum; we want healthy food that will last a long time, but if you don’t put preservatives in it you lose food due to spoilage,’ says Clemens” (Palmer). Therefore, if people want to eat fresh food without preservatives, they have to sacrifice the convenience of storing food for extended periods of time. If they want to be able to store food for longer than it would naturally last, they have to give up having truly fresh food without preservatives and exposing themselves to the health risks that come with the consumption of food with preservatives and additives. Although these preservatives provide convenience and cut the world’s food waste, is it really worth American citizens’ health? Are a couple of positive attributes worth the alarming health risks that come with it? 

Food preservatives and additives are common ingredients that many people in the United States may not always pay close attention to. What can be done to help this issue? Awareness and proper FDA regulation can help considerably. With knowing the negative and positive aspects of food preservatives and additives, it is the consumer’s personal decision to choose what kind of foods they eat. However, if people are not educated on these aspects they cannot make a decision that is most beneficial to their health. “Increasing health awareness among the consumers across all regions is fueling the demand for functional food ingredients” (“Food Additives Market - Evolving Industry Trends and key Insights by 2021”). Trading personal health for convenience and lower prices is a choice that many people in the United States struggle with. However, if consumers are aware of the health risks of preservatives and additives, or the FDA regulated safe ingredients, this choice would not have to be made. As Ann Wigmore said, “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
