Do you have many memories of 11th grade Chemistry class? Rubber gloves, beakers, test tubes, dissolving various compounds in a host of solutions to produce chemical reactions...Well, this is the face of modern-day foods--laced with a host of chemicals used for preserving flavor, doctoring up taste or appearance, preventing spoilage, and packaging food. While some unpronounceable food additives are fancy names for vitamins and minerals that we know of--for example, ferrous fumarate is iron, ascorbic acid is vitamin C, and riboflavin is vitamin B2, just to name a few--a lot of other added chemicals are not. Look at the ingredient list of just about any pre-packaged, processed food and you will need to consult your old grammar school teacher for help with pronunciation. Polyglycerol polyricinoleate, butylated hydroxyanisole, guanosine monophosphate, and propylene glycol alginate are just to name a few. Sound deliciously appetizing don’t they? NOT!!!
Although chemistry has been used in the production and preservation of foods for centuries, the level used today has grown to astronomical proportions, unreasonable in fact. Analysis by the Pew Health Group, the health sector of a public policy non-profit, found that more than 10,000 chemicals are currently allowed in human food (see more). The regulation (or lack there of!!) of these chemicals is alarming, scary, and angering (all in one!).
Although chemistry has been used in the production and preservation of foods for centuries, the level used today has grown to astronomical proportions, unreasonable in fact. Analysis by the Pew Health Group, the health sector of a public policy non-profit, found that more than 10,000 chemicals are currently allowed in human food (see more). The regulation (or lack there of!!) of these chemicals is alarming, scary, and angering (all in one!).
