U.S. food additives banned in Europe: Expert says what Americans eat is "almost certainly" making them sick

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U.S. food additives banned in Europe: Expert says what Americans eat is "almost certainly" making them sick

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London — From baguettes to focaccia, Europe is famous for its bread. But there's one ingredient conspicuously missing: Potassium bromate. It's a suspected carcinogen that's banned for human consumption in Europe, China and India, but not in the United States.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is used by some food makers, usually in the form of fine crystals or powder, to strengthen dough. It is estimated to be present in more than 100 products.

"There is evidence that it may be toxic to human consumers, that it may even either initiate or promote the development of tumors," professor Erik Millstone, an expert on food additives at England's University of Sussex, told CBS News. He said European regulators take a much more cautious approach to food safety than their U.S. counterparts.

Asked if it can be said with certainty that differences in regulations mean people in the U.S. have developed cancers that they would not have developed if they'd been eating exclusively in Europe, Millstone said that was "almost certainly the conclusion that we could reach."

It's not just potassium bromate. A range of other chemicals and substances banned in Europe over health concerns are also permitted in the U.S., including Titanium dioxide (also known as E171); Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) (E443); Potassium bromate (E924); Azodicarbonamide (E927a) and Propylparaben (E217).

Source and more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-food-additives-banned-europe-making-americans-sick-expert-says/
 
So, I remember reading about this: most of the stuff listed in the article are indeed banned in the EU, but some are at least regulated in the US. The EU just prefers to err on the side of caution, and ban it altogether.

And those regulations are pretty dang strict - to a level that the influence on humans is basically negligible. Usually, they're not allowed to be above a certain PPM (parts per million).
Others are unregulated, but those are chemicals that are used in production, not in the actual product itself. There is significant risk when working with those chemicals, yes, but since it's not to do with sticking it in food, the FDA doesn't have guidelines on it - that's a matter for OSHA, the workplace safety branch.
 
So, I remember reading about this: most of the stuff listed in the article are indeed banned in the EU, but some are at least regulated in the US. The EU just prefers to err on the side of caution, and ban it altogether.

And those regulations are pretty dang strict - to a level that the influence on humans is basically negligible. Usually, they're not allowed to be above a certain PPM (parts per million).
Others are unregulated, but those are chemicals that are used in production, not in the actual product itself. There is significant risk when working with those chemicals, yes, but since it's not to do with sticking it in food, the FDA doesn't have guidelines on it - that's a matter for OSHA, the workplace safety branch.
Gf works in food industry, they have bi-yearly audits by the FAVV (Belgian FDA). I guess it’s lot less strict in North America.
 
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