We always encourage our patients and our readers to eat real food, rather than processed foods. And now there is another reason to do so! In the beginning of October, the Food and Drug Administration officially banned the use of seven different food additives. It will be tough to recognize them on most labels though, since these dangerous additives are only labeled as “artificial flavors.” However, they are typically added to products to mimic “natural” mint, citrus and cinnamon flavors. The FDA went forward with this move after both food safety experts and environmentalists brought to light research demonstrating that six of the additives caused cancer in different lab animals. The seventh flavor had already been removed from the FDA’s approved list because many manufacturers in the food industry had already stopped using it.
The six artificial additives linked to cancer include benzophenone, ethyl acrylate, eugenyl methyl ether, myrcene, pulegone, and pyridine.Interestingly, the FDA determined these additives did not pose a public health risk at the “low levels” of intended use by the food industry, but amended the food additive regulation under something called the Delaney Clause. This law requires that the FDA cannot approve anything that causes cancer to humans or animals at any dose. This wasn’t the first time these food additives had seen controversy, as a few companies had sued the FDA for a response back in 2016.
Companies have two years to replace these additives, and being that all of these artificial flavorings have natural counterparts, our hope is that these companies will choose to use the natural options. Nonetheless, we continue to advocate eating fresh foods and cooking homemade meals from scratch as much as possible, using fresh, preferably organic foods while avoiding processed foods and ingredients. Eat fresh, live healthy!