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Harmful food additives essay
Harmful food additives essay
Explain the importance of food additives
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Problems with Additive Uses in Food: Their Effect on Children
Introduction: Food Additives In the forever changing world of food production, food manufacturing companies are always looking for new, innovative ways to stand out and while ensuring the maximum productivity of their products and minimum loss. Food additives have become very popular in the food processing industry for these reasons as well as others. Food additives are chemicals that are added to foods to improve the quality, maintain quality, or provide added quality that customers desire. Food additive usage is monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA only approves food additive usage if they have been proven to accomplish the specific task that they
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They add flavor and extend the shelf-life and storage duration of foods. They also improve the quality of foods, aiding foods that were not meant for storage become safer for consumption. Because of these benefits that the use of food additives have, “about 75% of the Western diet is made up of various processed foods, each person is now consuming an average 8-10 lbs of food additives per year, with some possibly eating considerably more” (Tuormaa 1994). Though this article is dated, the information provided is still relevant …show more content…
High pressure processing can be performed in variety of different ways including high pressure pasteurization (destruction of all pathogenic microorganisms) and high pressure sterilization (removal of all microorganisms).
Microwave, Ohmic and Pulsed Electric Field Preservation is the heating of foods through the use of electric fields. These forms of advance food preservation allows even penetration of the food . They are beneficial because they decrease water activity and the number of microorganisms able to thrive in the food item.
Conclusions
Food additive are chemicals that are intentionally added to foods to yield a desired effect. There are multiple types of food additives that are used regularly in many of the foods we consume. Some examples of food additives include color, flavors, preservatives, and antioxidants. Though, there are a plethora of benefits, there are also multiple disadvantages to the presence of additives in food. Food additives are known to cause many health-related issues when consumed. They have an even worse effect on children than on
The book Salt, Sugar, and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us discusses the danger of food with its readers. The dangers of food discussed in the book are the ingredients of Salt, Sugar and Fat in the food individuals consume on a daily basis. Producers use these ingredients to their advantage to get the consumers bliss point. The bliss point attained is used by the food giants to achieve a profit. However due to research on the health risks of these ingredients food companies are strategizing in order to maintain their profit and earn more of a profit.
Food additives are substances that are added to food to enhance it; they can be both chemical and natural ("Food Additives: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia"). Recently many food additives have been questioned by both the public and scientists world wide. One example of the food additives that have been studied is sodium stearoyl lactylate. It has recently been looked at due to indications that it might be unsafe for consumption. In this essay a couple main points and questions will be explained; what is sodium stearoyl lactylate, what are its effects both positive and negative, what are some indirect effects SSL has on society, is it ethical to use, and if sodium stearoyl lactylate safe for human consumption.
Processed foods can be processed in the mechanical sense, such as grinding peanuts into peanut butter or freezing meat. These are still whole foods, so they usually don’t have a negative effect on our health. When a food is chemically processed is when problems tend to arise. For example when whole corn is made into corn chips, or when wheat is made into cereal can be extremely unhealthy. An example of the effects of processed foods is "The added salt in many processed foods is primarily a negative point when there is so much salt in everything else we eat. This can result in cramping, water retention and in extremes – heart damage." (Cranston1) The salt is only one example of the dangers of processed food. Other problems would be the various chemicals and trans fats. Cranston also says "Unfortunately the very existence of processed foods, and the fact that they are so easy and convenient to eat, means that people in a rush or low in cash will often choose processed foods rather than think of creative ways to eat fresh foods more cheaply and easily. The fact that it is ‘all too easy’ to take this easier route means that many people aren’t getting the proportion of fresh foods in their diet that they need." (Cranston2) Processed foods have unhealthy amounts of fat salt and calories, and in some cases very few micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. This causes countless adverse health effects, and has
Customers/Consumers were worried about the changes in the market for food and drugs because they no longer had a single clue of what was in their products. Food production was moving from household prepared to general markets. As food markets became more refined due to the improvement of technology. The difficulty in discerning the quality of their product heightened. With new and quicker ways make food, fears of the ingredients that the foods consisted grew. Preservatives and chemicals also instilled a concern to consumers. Health officials, chemists, and other individuals tested and proved the dangers of these new additives.
Over a period the human body can develop a series of sicknesses when it intakes an excessive amount of artificial food, these sicknesses may include cancer, ADHD, and obesity. The human body is made to digest Earths natural nutrients, either if its meat, grains, herbs or crops. The question is ‘do we really want to know what we are consuming? Over the years, many scientists toiled in labs trying to figure out what chemically engineered products we would like best, either if it is from the taste, scent, texture, or appearance. Businesses care more about the wealth of the product than about our planet's well being. The scientists load up the product with a preferred amount of salt, sugar, and/or fat, just so the consumer will purchase the item. The dyes in food alone are so unnatural that they could cause serious complications in children.
The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 amends the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and
Food dyes are some of the most popular type of dyes, but despite being supposedly safe to eat, they are quite dangerous. The most common food dyes that are currently approved by the FDA for use in the U.S.A. are Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue), Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine), Citrus Red #2, Green #3 (Fast Green), Red #3 (Erythrosine), Red #40 (Allura Red), Yellow #5 (Tarterazine), and Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow). Event though they are approved for use in food, they are still dangerous additives which have quite a bit of health risks. Yellow #5, which is found in numerous candies and cereals, has been known to cause sometimes severe hyperactivity in children. It has also been shown that some of the most common food dyes may be linked to various forms of cancer. Some studies have even found that E-numbered food dyes do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline. The main reason that food dyes are used is make processed foods look more appealing. When foods are processed they lose valuable nutrients and fiber as well as color. The food is often left looking off-colored and unappealing, so food coloring is added to make the food more desirable (Toxic). To avoid so much processed food some people have started using natural food coloring instead of artificial food dyes. Some of the most common of these are carotenoids, chlorophyll, anthocyanin, and turmeric. Some foods even use bugs as a type of dye. Some of the dyes that are made from bugs include carmine, carminic acid, cochineal, and natural Red #4. Natural dyes don't even come close to having as many health risks as artificial dyes. Then, why do many foods still contain artificial dyes? One major reason is because artificial dyes are much cheaper to produce than natural dyes. Another big reason is that artificial dyes last much longer than natural dyes. Artificial food dyes
The people who are related to cooking and healthy dieting point at the fact that the unhealthy food is a “number one cause of the most common diseases, including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and heart disease” (Maffetone). Among the food that contains immense amounts of sugar are cakes, ice-creams, and biscuits that are highly loved especially by children. They can easily become a reason for becoming fat and gaining overweight. The same situation is with the high content of salt in the junk food which might result in high blood pressure, and can consequently lead even to strokes and heart attacks. Ready-made food might also contain the substances like preservatives or taste enhancers that contribute to the taste and increase the expiration date. Nevertheless, as Jamie Oliver emphasized the commonly known fact, “diet-related disease is the biggest killer in the United States, right now, here today” (Oliver). The consumption of incorrectly balanced food results in severe outcomes for our health system, and those changes tend to be irreversible as well as the diseases are hard to
The processed food we eat has many chemical additives that mislead our scenes, which are actually mascaraing the manufacturing process of the food industry. Eric Schlosser does an excellent job proving this fact in his report “Food Product Design”. His arguments point out that fast food industries main goal is to entice you with a brand of flavor that you eventually will be addicted to. Subsequently over the last fifty years the flavor industry has manipulated the population into spending 90 percent of the money that they spend on groceries, to ensure they are buying branded processed food. In effect these corporations are employing scientific research and a human beings natural instincts and scenes to persuade us into eating their certain brand of food.
The most harmful, from all the different types of processed foods, is ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are a mixture of cheap ingredients. Some examples are: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, and enriched flour. Sixty percent of American’s calorie intake is ultra-processed foods. Cara Rosenbloom, from The Washington Post, explains “… ultra-processed foods are high in sugar, fat and salt, and lack fiber, vitamins and minerals. People who consume more ultra-processed foods have a greater risk of obesity, hypertension and high blood sugar levels, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes.” Even though Ultra-processed foods are very harmful to adults and children, processed foods use pesticides to keep it
Food has been a common source of necessity in our everyday lives as humans. It helps gives us nutrition and energy to live throughout our life. Over several decades, the development of making foods has evolved. They have changed from natural to processed foods in recent years. Nowadays natural ingredients are barely used in the making of foods like bread, cheese, or yogurt. The food industry today has replaced natural food making with inorganic ingredients. The cause of this switch is due to processed foods being easier, cheaper and faster to make. Artificial nutrition and processed foods have been proven to last longer in market shelves then natural foods. Also, due to artificial additives in processed foods they help satisfy consumers taste more than natural ingredients. The method of producing processed foods is common in today's food industry and helps make money faster and efficiently for companies. Examples of this can be found in all markets that distribute food. Even though processed foods may be easier and faster to make, they are nowhere near as healthy for consumers compared to natural foods. Natural foods are healthier, wholesome, and beneficial to the human body and planet then processed foods.
On every food product there is a table of nutritional information that states the exact health contents of the food. There is also a list of ingredients that provides consumers with details regarding the food. In today’s times, consumers are flooded with choices of seemingly similar products. I do not know the difference in nutrition amongst these products. Food labelling is often misleading and deceptive, and I feel as if I have been left in the dark, but also that there is a hidden shadow side that may exist as consumers’ ignoracne may lead to naive incorrect choices.
Food is “composed of synthetic chemical additives, such as colorings, preservatives, sugar substitutes and trans-fats” (Fitzgerald, 2006, p.72). Fitzgerald reported that by the “1970s most meats and dairy products that were factory farmed were laced with growth hormones, antibiotics and a range of pesticides” (p.72). Furthermore, food that is frozen, packaged and canned is considered processed food. A brief explanation of the chemical additives in processed food. 1.
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. Food borne illnesses are diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. “In industrialized countries, the percentage of people suffering from food borne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. In the United States of America, for example, around 76 million cases of food borne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.” (Geneva 2)
The demand for easy to prepare and convenience of food create major scientific and technological challenges that cannot be fulfilled without experts scientific capable of understanding complex chemistry or biochemistry of food system and knowledge about method to preserved food which increases dependability of society towards ready-to-eat has led the greater responsibility for processors in terms of quality, safety and nutrition (McGill, 2011).