Would you eat Trash?

"For starters, may I recommend the artisanal whole-grain bread, risen to perfection with our signature carcinogenic potassium bromate. For your entrée, a tender chicken breast generously infused with hormones, topped with a luxurious neurological agent sauce made from the finest brominated vegetable oil. And to finish, our award-winning rainbow dessert, crafted with a delicate blend of DNA-damaging titanium dioxide and notes of endocrine-disrupting BHA. Simply divine."

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I know I know - a lot has been said lately on this topic. But the more I learn, the more disgusted I've become. 

We live in a country where the government demands labels to warn consumers if they eat unpasteurized cheese… but won't have the same demand to warn consumers they will eat cereal preserved with chemicals that can damage your DNA. I am baffled. 

Seriously, how does that work? You can’t buy a bottle of wine in Europe if it contains certain additives but here, those same additives are in breakfast cereal for toddlers. 

Ever forgotten a slice of Kraft Singles in the back of your fridge, only to find it looking perfectly fresh five years later? It almost looks radioactive... That’s not a food miracle, its industrial chemistry, the kind that keeps a “cheese product” looking showroom-fresh for half a decade (and probably longer!)

And the FDA? Oh, they know. That's the most shocking part. They just operate under an “innocent until proven guilty” model for chemicals in food. Europe bans them first and only allows them if they’re proven safe. Here? We’ll feed them to millions of people for decades and maybe take another look if someone grows a third arm. 

I would love to hear an argument that says that this is OK.

The Dirty List. Chemicals banned in Europe, but served al dente in U.S. plates

🥦 Healthy ≠ Safe

And before anyone says, “Well, I don’t eat junk food, so I’m fine” - Well, newsflash. No, you’re probably not. These chemicals aren’t just lurking in neon-colored candy and tasty cakes. They’ve moved into your so-called “healthy” aisle: 

• Protein bars that brag about “clean energy”? Often preserved with BHA or BHT, the same chemicals in Frosted Flakes, just hiding behind words like fortified or natural flavor.

• Whole-grain cereals like certain versions of Special K, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and even some Cheerios flavors carry preservatives or dyes that Europe wouldn’t touch. Unbelievable.

• Flavored yogurts that look innocent? Some are tinted with colors banned for use in EU children’s foods or contain titanium dioxide to make them extra “pretty.” - Unbelievable.

• Kid’s gummy vitamins - yes, the ones you buy thinking you’re doing something good, can contain artificial colors banned overseas.

We’ve been sold the lie that if it’s on the shelf, it must be safe. That if it has a nutrition label and a smiling cartoon character, it’s somehow “regulated” in a way that protects us. Spoiler: it’s not. The FDA isn’t your protective parent; it’s the distracted babysitter who’s letting the kids eat glue as long as the glue company says it’s fine.

The FDA requires years of clinical trials and multiple approval phases for breakthrough medicines. However, many food additives banned in the EU have been grandfathered under U.S. law, meaning they can stay on the market without modern safety testing

Europe took one look at these chemicals and said, “Yeah, no thanks.” They banned them. Pulled them off shelves. Told companies to find safer alternatives. And guess what? They did. The cereal still looks good. The bread still rises. The candy still sells.

So why not here? Because in the U.S., the burden is on us to figure it out. To read every label. To learn the chemical-nicknames companies hide behind. To decide if “possible carcinogen” is something you may want sprinkled on your kid’s breakfast (or not).

At the end of the day, we have two choices:

1. Keep pretending the smiling tiger and heart-shaped cereal are our friends, or

2. Start voting with our wallets and stop buying this chemical garbage until companies, and the FDA, get the message. The fight for clean food isn’t theirs, it’s ours. Onward! 🏹

Don’t play chemical roulette with your groceries. Free phone apps like EWG’s Healthy Living and Yuka scan your food for banned additives in seconds. Download, scan, stop buying the trash.

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📚 Sources & Further Reading

1. TIME Magazine – “Why the FDA Allows Food Additives Banned in Europe” https://time.com/7210717/food-additives-us-fda-banned-europe

2. Consumer Reports – “7 Food Additives to Avoid” https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/dangerous-ingredients-that-are-in-our-food-but-shouldnt-be-a4054710317

3. Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) – “Titanium Dioxide: Why FDA Should Ban This Harmful Additive” https://www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/titanium-dioxide-why-fda-should-ban-harmful-additive

4. Environmental Working Group (EWG) – “BHA and BHT: Harmful Preservatives Still Allowed in Food and Cosmetics” https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2025/04/despite-health-harm-concerns-bha-and-bht-remain-food-and-cosmetics

5. The Guardian – “The U.S. Allows These Chemicals in Food — Europe Bans Them” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/23/titanium-dioxide-banned-chemicals-carcinogen-eu-us

6. Center for Food Safety – https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/307/animal-factories/press-releases/4047/report-finds-most-fast-food-chains-serve-meat-raised-on-drugs