{"id":1493635,"date":"2024-10-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1493635"},"modified":"2024-10-03T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T10:00:00","slug":"healthier-mcdonalds-options-available-in-europe-but-not-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/healthier-mcdonalds-options-available-in-europe-but-not-in-the-us\/1493635\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthier McDonald’s Options Available In Europe, But Not In The US"},"content":{"rendered":"

Healthier McDonald’s Options Available In Europe, But Not In The US<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Cara Michelle Miller via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

People can get healthier McDonalds in Europe,<\/strong> food activist\u00a0Vani Hari said at a recent Senate roundtable discussion.<\/p>\n

New Africa\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

For instance, in the United States, McDonald\u2019s fries contain 11 ingredients, while the UK version has only three<\/strong>, with salt being optional. Hari highlighted this disparity during her testimony<\/a> at the Sen. Ron Johnson roundtable, American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion, revealing how many U.S. foods are laden with unsafe chemicals banned in other Western countries.<\/p>\n

The Epoch Times verified that U.S. McDonald\u2019s fries contain ten or more ingredients, while the UK version has three or more ingredients.<\/p>\n

How can a food additive be considered risky in other countries yet deemed safe in America?<\/p>\n

Legal Loophole Allows Unsafe Ingredients<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe problem is the law<\/strong>\u2014there\u2019s nothing that requires the industry to submit safety data,\u201d Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result, companies can just self-regulate and designate ingredients as GRAS [generally recognized as safe] without notifying the FDA or the public<\/strong>.\u201d Her recent research<\/a> published in the American Journal of Public Health sheds light on this legal loophole, allowing unsafe ingredients in the U.S. food supply.<\/p>\n

Europe tends to take a precautionary approach, looking at evidence of harm and protecting their public, whereas the U.S. is more company-friendly, requiring evidence to remove unsafe ingredients from the food supply, she added.<\/p>\n

For example, the European Food Safety Authority bans substances like growth hormones and certain artificial colorings based on potential harm<\/a>.<\/strong> In contrast, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates food additives through a petition process, relying on the \u201cgenerally recognized as safe\u201d (GRAS) principle, which allows some ingredients to enter the market without thorough testing.<\/p>\n

Companies can self-designate substances as GRAS based on their own evaluations, with limited oversight from the FDA. The Epoch Times reached out to the FDA for comments.<\/p>\n

Notably, potentially harmful chemicals, like azodicarbonamide, a chemical used in bread\u2014which is linked to cancer in animal studies and banned in several countries\u2014remain legal in the U.S. because of the GRAS principle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other countries, this is the same chemical they use in yoga mats and shoe rubber … when this chemical is heated, studies show that it turns into a carcinogen,\u201d Hari said. This ingredient was previously used in Subway bread until Hari got it removed by petitioning the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are now hundreds, if not thousands, of substances added to our foods for which the true safety data are unknown to independent scientists, the government, and the public<\/strong>,\u201d said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author of the study with Pomeranz and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, in a statement.<\/p>\n

500 Percent Rise in Food Dye Consumption<\/h2>\n

Another concern discussed at the Senate roundtable is the significant rise in artificial food dye consumption, particularly among American children.<\/p>\n

Consumption of artificial food dyes has increased by 500 percent<\/a> in the last 50 years, and 43 percent of products<\/a> marketed to children contain these dyes, Hari said. These dyes have been linked to various health issues, including hyperactivity and allergic reactions, raising serious concerns for parents.<\/p>\n

Using Kellogg\u2019s as a case study, Hari pointed out the difference between U.S. and Canadian cereals. The Canadian version of Fruit Loops is colored naturally with juice from watermelons and carrots, while the U.S. version contains artificial dyes and preservatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cKellogg\u2019s announced plans to remove dyes by the end of 2018 but never followed through<\/strong>,\u201d she said, contrasting the neon-colored version with the less-colorful, pastel one.<\/p>\n

California passed the School Food Safety Act<\/a> on Aug. 29, which will restrict several artificial color additives\u2014including blue dye No. 1, red dye No. 40, and titanium dioxide\u2014in foods sold in public K\u201312 schools, effective Dec. 31, 2027.<\/p>\n

Reacting to a petition filed for FD&C Red No. 3<\/a>, the FDA is reviewing the safety of red dye No. 3. In addition, on Aug. 2, the FDA banned<\/a> brominated vegetable oil. Companies have until Aug. 2, 2025 to phase it out.<\/p>\n

FDA and Congress Can Do More<\/h2>\n

Hari calls for stricter regulations and greater transparency with ingredient lists to protect consumers, especially children.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsking food companies to remove artificial dyes would make an immediate impact on children\u2019s health,\u201d wrote Hari in her email to The Epoch Times. \u201cThey don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel, as they are already using natural alternatives in other countries.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Pomeranz and Mozaffarian propose several policy recommendations, including requiring companies to notify the FDA of\u00a0how they determined that a substance is\u00a0GRAS and sharing their safety data before adding substances to foods. Additionally, increased funding from Congress is needed to allow the FDA to enhance its reach.<\/p>\n

They also advocate for a stricter review process for both GRAS ingredients and food additives to ensure that substances such as caffeine, sugar, and salt are safe\u2014not just in small amounts\u2014but also at the higher levels found in many processed foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is widespread agreement that current [food additive] levels in many products are not \u2019recognized as safe,<\/strong>‘\u201d Pomeranz said on Sept. 25 during the FDA public meeting on improving the FDA\u2019s review process of food chemicals. Excessive amounts can lead to serious health risks, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the FDA and Congress can do more to enable the FDA to meet its mission of ensuring a safe food supply,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

A Safer Food Supply<\/h2>\n

As food safety concerns grow, \u00a0the FDA is set to launch a new Human Foods Program<\/a> on Tuesday to reorganize its operations and other improvements, including a proposed post-market review of food additives and GRAS substances to increase transparency and improve safety evaluations.<\/p>\n

The FDA has published a paper<\/a> showing that the program will assess factors such as the potential toxicity of a substance, changes in exposure levels, and their presence in foods consumed by vulnerable populations like infants.<\/strong> Additionally, it will consider new scientific data and public or organizational interest in these chemicals.<\/p>\n

The agency would also consider state-level regulations on certain food products.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This approach suggests that state-level actions could influence the FDA\u2019s future assessments. For example, California\u2019s recent restriction on certain food dyes could play a role in future considerations.<\/p>\n

Pomeranz said that a more robust review process is needed not just for existing ingredients but also for any new additives.<\/p>\n

However, consumers also need to be involved, Hari said. After she uncovered potentially toxic\u00a0ingredients in Starbucks\u2019 popular pumpkin spice lattes, media attention prompted Starbucks to remove an ammonia-derived ingredient linked to cancer.<\/p>\n

Public pressure can help drive\u00a0changes for safer food options,\u00a0says Hari, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s time for consumers to demand healthier choices and for the FDA to prioritize public health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nThu, 10\/03\/2024 – 02:00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/medical\/healthier-mcdonalds-options-available-europe-not-us<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Healthier McDonald’s Options Available In Europe, But Not In The US Authored by Cara Michelle Miller via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), People can get…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1493636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1493635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1493635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1493636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1493635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1493635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1493635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}