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Darren talks about food ingredients that are banned worldwide but still legal here in the US.
You might wonder why food ingredients that are illegal in most other countries, because of their negative effects on human health are still allowed in food here in the US. We might all believe that the FDA is there to protect us from hazardous elements in our food supply. They do to a certain extent but only as much as they have to, while at the same time caving to political lobbies when legislation is passed that reflects blatant corporate interest rather than public welfare.
Here are a few of the biggest offenders outlined in an article on Yahoo health discussing the work of nutritionist Mira Calton and her 6 year, 100 country study of this subject.
1. Food colours; blue 1 & 2 and yellow 5 and 6. Preying on our visual perceptions; we eat and buy much more when foods are brightly colored, even if the uncolored version is exactly the same otherwise. It is found in cakes, cookies, drinks, cereals and more. Most of these colours are made from coal tar, hardly something I would like to have in my food.
2. Olestra; a fat substitute developed by Proctor and Gamble and banned in the UK and Canada. It robs the body of essential fat soluble nutrients and carotenoids and even worse has been known to cause embarrassing oily anal leakage.
3. BVO; brominated vegetable oil. This is found in drinks primarily, especially citrus flavored drinks. It is a toxic chemical banned in over 100 countries and it leads to thyroid problems because it binds up iodine receptor sites on the thyroid. It is also corrosive and can cause organ damage and other very serious health conditions.
4. Arsenic; believe it or not this is allowed in poultry farming because it makes the meat look pinker. This toxic carcinogen, known as such by the EPA, is still FDA approved, even though it is banned in so many other countries.
This is not the complete list but certainly gives you an idea of just how the FDA is not doing the job we want them to but rather acts in favor of industry.