Ruminations

What Price Convenience of Processed Foods....?

"[The report features] some striking and surprising concerns about the lack of attention that these chemicals have received by regulatory agencies. Pound for pound, children eat more food and therefore have a higher level of exposure compared to us adults. In addition, their developing organ systems are uniquely vulnerable. ...There can be fundamental disruptions in various endocrine functions that can manifest not only in early childhood but potentially in later life as a result of prenatal or infant exposure."

"It's not simply calories in, calories out. That used to be a convenient framework for thinking about obesity, but now we know that synthetic chemicals disrupt how calories are processed and ultimately converted into protein vs. sugar vs. fat."

"Even at a basic level, we understand that thyroid hormone is not only important for brain development but also heart function, bone function, muscle. Practically every organ system is touched by thyroid hormone function."

"There are safe and simple steps that families can take to limit their exposure: reducing canned food consumption, avoiding microwaving plastic. This is also another opportunity to emphasize the need for fresh fruit and vegetable consumption as opposed to other highly processed or packaged foods. Not only because of the nutrients and how they differ but also because of the chemical contamination that is much greater ... in fast food and other packaged foods."
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, director, Division of Environmental Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine

"Chemicals used in everyday products need to be rigorously evaluated for their full potential of human health impacts before they are made widely available in the marketplace."
Dr. Maida P. Galvez, associate professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai

"[Americans] should know that all plastics intended for contact with food are reviewed for safety and must meet stringent FDA safety requirements before they can be used in food packaging."

"Consumers want to know that the products they purchase -- including packaged foods -- will perform as expected, provide the desired benefit and are safe for their families."
"Plastics packaging is critical to protecting the quality and integrity of food, and to help in the safe transportation and storage of food."
The American Chemistry Council represents chemical industry companies

While Canada has taken some action against risky chemicals in recent years, such as banning some phthalates from children’s products and becoming the first country to ban bisphenol A in baby bottles, many more also pose potential risks, one expert says. Charla Jones/The Globe and Mail

"I think this kind of statement [from the AAP -- American Academy of Pediatrics] really sends a clear signal to government in Canada and elsewhere that the issue of exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals and other toxic chemicals in food products is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly."

Muhannad Malas, toxics program manager, Environmental Defence advocacy group

This report issued on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics is meant as long overdue heads-up to the medical community and the public at large to advise and inform of the potential risks being taken to children's health through exposure to chemicals of uncertain effect. How the ingestion and other exposure to many of those chemicals may in the long term affect children's health is unknown, but an obvious matter of concern to the American pediatric community. Who fear that insufficient attention to details such as knowing precisely the effects of chemicals being used represents a risk to human health through misplaced trust in the food industry.

Food additives, packaging and chemicals used to make plastic containers and other consumer products are regulated differently in Canada, however, where food additives are regulated by Health Canada under the Food and Drugs Act, prohibiting the use of harmful substances in food. Although the Canadian Environmental Protection Act can be used to regulate toxic substances, there are those critics who feel the federal government should consider toughening up this law to guard against emerging threats, a legal reform issue government appears to be committed to.

In the United States, roughly a thousand chemicals are considered to be "Generally Recognized as Safe" evidently not requiring approval from the Food and Drug Administration. According to the FDA any substance purposed for use as a food additive is subject to its approval, "unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use." This laissez-faire attitude failed to impress the academy, which urges government to consider revising its Generally Recognized As Safe process, to ensure it is more transparent and in the process mandating additional tests for toxicity before approving chemicals to be used in food items.

For their study, the involved researchers organized chemicals into direct additives, including colorings and flavors added during food processing, along with indirect additives, such as those contained in the plastics, dyes and adhesives used in packaging that have the potential to contaminate food after processing. The researchers took care to point out that most damaging compounds, such as artificial chemicals like phthalates and bisphenols used in plastic food containers have the post-process capacity to disrupt the endocrine system and reduce fertility.

The researchers pointed out that Black Americans and those in the population identified as low-income families are frequently found to reflect the highest levels of BPA, known as a potential disruptor of puberty timing which can cause obesity through promoting lipids storage. Low-income families are more given to obtaining foods containing BPA which appears in canned goods -- less costly, more readily available where large supermarkets or convenient access to fresh fruits and vegetables are not as prevalent in their neighbourhoods. That obesity is more prevalent as well among low-income and children of colour in the U.S. possibly links to their higher consumption of processed foods containing BPA.

Colours derived through chemicals used in sweetened fruit juices which despite the name contain a paucity of fruit are linked by studies to their potential to aggravate pre-existing conditions such as attention deficit disorder. Yet another common chemical used in plastic packaging of dry foods, Perchlorate, is known for its potential in altering early brain development and impacting thyroid function. The avoidance of processed meats, most particularly throughout pregnancy, and of food packaged in plastic labelled with recycling codes 3 (phthalates) 6 (styrene; a suspected carcinogen) or 7 (bisphenols), replacing them with plastics labelled "biobased" and alternately "greenware", attesting them to be corn-based, not produced with bisphenols represents good self-defence practise.

When microwaving, glass should ideally be substituted for plastic containers. The simple hygienic basics of hand-washing before and after handling foods and drinks along with washing fruits and vegetables that aren't normally peeled before being consumed should represent normal practise.

"Families can eat organic; they can avoid the use of pesticides in their homes to get rid of unwanted creatures; they can avoid aluminum can food consumption; they can avoid microwaving plastic and machine-dishwashing plastic containers", offered the study lead author, Dr. Trasande.

There are other common-sense things that families can do to protect their health: "Simply air out their homes every couple of days" to help in the removal of chemical dusts emanating from electronics and other materials; in particular flame retardants. "As pediatricians, we’re especially concerned about significant gaps in data about the health effects of many of these chemicals on infants and children", noted Dr. Trasande. "Even small disruptions at key moments during development can have lifelong consequences."