Haven't you heard of
food additives? If not, you sure have seen it, smelt it, tasted
it..., even fallen pray to its side effects! The consequences were
perhaps, so minor that you ignored it. After all who takes a stomach
upset, headache, or a tiny rash on the skin seriously, unless it
persists?
Additives are present
in every bite or sip that we take. Those in the business of feeding
us, would justify it as the only way to keep food fresh and safe
throughout its long journey from farms/factories to retail outlets.
Fuelling its indiscriminate use is our own increasing demand on the
variety, availability, and affordability of food items.
For long, the harmful
potential of food additives has been a matter of research as well as
debate. Debate, because of lack of credible and conclusive finding!
For instance, afflictions caused by an additive in one person need
not occur in another. Further, tests on additives performed in
isolation, make it impossible to determine their combined effects in
a particular food preparation.
The culprits could be
any additive from the commonly used Colouring agents, Preservatives,
Sweeteners, and Flavour Enhancers to the more potent Hydrogenated
Oils (Crackers, Cookies and Cakes); High Fructose Corn (Baked
products), MSG or Mono Sodium Glutamate (to stimulate appetite),
Olestra (a substitute for fat), and so on. Their regular consumption
can cause Digestive, Nervous, Coronary, and Respiratory disorders.
The food industry
prefers to play down this negative perception. In terms of real
health risk, they contend, food-borne micro-organisms and lack of
hygiene pose far greater threats than additives.
The tragedy is the
manner in which policies governing food production/processing are
framed. In Europe, an additive is assumed to be harmful until proven
safe. As the GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) rule in USA
suggests, an additive is presumed safe until proven otherwise. These
different approaches only serve to cause further confusion.
Let us not fall prey to
these assumptions and presumptions. It is not only our right, but
responsibility as well, to ensure safety for us and our children.
Hence, do not hesitate to reject food that contains any additive
about which you have any misgiving or reservation.
'If it came from a
plant, eat it;
if it was made in a
plant, don't.'
— Michael Pollan
— Michael Pollan