FLR 050: How Did 10,000 Additives Get Into Our Food?

INGREDIENTS OF THE DAY:  None

Have you ever wondered how our modern commercial food system got to be so chock full of additives in the first place?  There’s something like 10,000 chemicals approved for food use. 

And how does a new food additive get approved for use?  The answers to those questions are both historical and complicated, and I will attempt to tackle them in this episode.

Show Notes: 

To Contact Show:  foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com

Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/prophetofprocessedfood/?ref=bookmarks

The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store or using most of the podcast apps available for smart phones or tablets.  Just search under Food Labels Revealed.

References:

Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee by Bee Wilson

https://tinyurl.com/y8qkkdtc 

The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum

https://tinyurl.com/ybbuylnv

FDA Database:  Substances Added to Food

https://tinyurl.com/y6uza7yp

Smithsonian Magazine:  Where Did the FDA Come From and What Does It Do

https://tinyurl.com/y2h9fw3b

Cranford, New Jersey Neighborhood Newsletter: Historic Resident Fought for Pure Food Laws

https://tinyurl.com/ycvk843z

FDA Consumer Magazine: The Story of the Laws Behind the Labels

https://tinyurl.com/yaxddnhk 

FDA:  Sugar, A Cautionary Tale

https://tinyurl.com/ycjvdank

Food Safety News: The GRAS Process

https://tinyurl.com/ybkfpcgt

Public Integrity:  Why the FDA Really Doesn’t Know What’s in Your Food

https://tinyurl.com/y943pm9o

NPR:  Why the FDA Has Never Looked at Some of the Additives in Our Food

https://tinyurl.com/yc7kyutx 

Natural Resources Defense Council:  Generally Recognized as Secret

https://tinyurl.com/yau85tqk

North Dakota State University:  Overview of FDA’s GRAS

https://tinyurl.com/y8fp2m5j 

 

Music:

Intro music is the "Peter Gunn Theme" by Henri Mancini

Outro music is "Happy Boy" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod