Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Before getting into whether there is any evidence for the additive effect the first question to ask is why would these things cause allergy or autism in the first place. No good reason to suppose that they would. This is the sort of thinking that blamed lunar effects for craziness (lunacy) and hysteria on the presence of a uterus. Made sense to somebody back then, but there is no reason to believe it.

I think this sentence answers the question for me:

“You don’t have to be a doctor or a scientist to look into whether our food supply is safe,” she said.

Ummm, yes you do.

I agree that there are far too many additives in processed food. Soy and corn are cheap, subsidized ingredients that act as filler and appear in an amazing number of different variations. They even derive ascorbic acid (vitamin C) from corn. Do these kind of additives cause allergies and autism? I don't know. I don't think anyone knows.

That said, food allergies themselves have become a source of irrational commotion. Meredith Broussard's food allergy hysteria piece in Harper's this month seriously rocks on the myth-busting front. Too bad nobody reads Harper's.

We do know that overexposure to certain foods can lead to food sensitivities, and there's no question that we eat far fewer plant varieties than we did years ago. Most of the corn Americans eat is the same Roundup Ready variety, and it's in *so* much of the food-- is it any wonder that such things might lead to an increase in food allergies?

In addition, there's the issue of pesticides and mixed chemical exposures. The problem is that there's really no way to structure a study to determine exactly what impact the chemicals we are exposed to have on us- we are exposed to so many, in our food, our water, and our surroundings, and we don't even know what some of them are, how they interact and in what amounts we are exposed. You can study combinations of one or two chemicals, but the indeterminate brew? Not so much. There's just no practical way to do it.

So we have a situation where science is of limited use-- we don't have the capacity to use it to find out exactly what's going on, so all we can do is look at the results it's getting us and ask why this is happening and if perhaps we should maybe try to keep food additives, pesticides and other chemicals to an absolute minimum until we *can* know how they affect us.

And if you've ever lived with a life-threatening food allergy, if you or your child has been through anaphylaxis, you know exactly how important it is not to downplay food allergy issues.

I found this person to be very reactionary. First of all, the whole sale dismissal or all "chemicals" in food is silly. It is far more intelligent to learn exactly what all those things that you can't pronounce are. To dismiss something because you can't pronounce the name is just...well it's just dumb. Learn what it is and what it does. Some additives are perfectly safe and have been used in food for years (yes, even the ones that have funny names like xantham), some hormones like the bovine growth hormone added to most of our beef and milk supply has been shown in real scientific studies to cause cancer (So stay away from that one). The only way to determine this is by doing a little leg work yourself.

Also, this woman decided that all kids allergies were caused by "chemicals", because her kids had an allergic reaction. If anyone took any logic classes in college, they will know that she took a specific instance and generalized about the entire population based on that specific instance. This is called a logical fallacy and is an error in her reasoning, a bad thought process if you will.

People just need to work a little harder in the grocery store. If you come across something that you don't know the name of, look it up. It's not difficult to learn what different additives do.

And despite her thinking that you don't need to be a scientist to know what's going on, YOU DO!! You do need to be a scientist! Without a scientific study, you are just taking shots in the dark.

Argh, I guess that wasn't the best way to tag quotes. That was in response to foodinmouth and brandonphx.

(resolves to use real HTML in future)

"Why is this responsibility placed on the consumer? Not all consumers are highly educated, and this information isn't taught in public schools. Not to mention the fact that many of the most adulterated foods are marketed directly to children. Shouldn't it be the responsibility of the companies doing the adulteration to prove the safety of their additives before unleashing them on an unsuspecting public?"

It's the consumer's responsibility because the FDA has a long history of not working. I guess we can all wait for them to start doing due proper research before approving products for use, but I'm not holding my breath. I prefer a proactive approach to learning what things are and staying away from things that I think may be harmful. This would be especially true if I had kids, at the end of the day, it's the parent's responsibly to take care of the kids, not the governments.

I do think the perception of an increase in food allergies is more likely due to the increase in media coverage. We already know the feeling that we really need to find something to post, imagine the urgency felt by those with the overhead of a television studio. It's good for people to understand the problem as it exists, but I think there can be a temptation to make it seem worse than it is

I find her message very opportunistic. It is too easy to point a finger at the food industry. Why stop at processed food? What about pollution from all the soccer moms tooling around town in SUVs and minivans? What about all the scents and coloring in shampoo and soaps? Flame retardants anyone? Lead in paints on toys? Mold? Diet soda when pregnant or nursing? Dyes on clothes? Microwaves…the list is endless. Point the finger at any and all modern conveniences.

As a mother of two without allergies, I follow my own version of Michael Pollan’s commandments. My number one priority is to generally avoid “kid” foods. I don’t want my two to develop a sweet and salty McPalette. They eat what adults eat minus the super spicy. Fortunately, we live in California so sushi eating kids aren’t considered too weird. On the other hand, I don’t want to be draconian so they do get the occasional trip to McDonalds or In and Out.

After all, they really should deliver children with instructions so we could avoid parental mistakes that cause allergies and such ; )

Of course it is impossible for the ordinary person to prove this one way or the other. I offer anecdotal evidence. I left the US 7 years ago told I had few years left because of an autoimmune complex had developed. Where I live hormones in the food and antibiotics are illegal. Packaged foods are rare. The consumption of fresh from raw vegetables and fruits is the norm.

Within a couple of years it became clear to me that I would outlive my money. I went back to school and have begun a new career. I'm not cured of all the damages I suffered before, but the whole thing has just stopped as far as can be tested.

I do believe the food supply in the US is doing us harm. How much harm and what kind I can't specify. I'm not starting a campaign decrying the whole system, because I haven't the scientific background to present facts or run controlled experiments, but I use every opportunity to wean people from processed, packaged, treated and hormone-pushed food. Better 100 g of clean meat than a 12 ounce steak full of crap-- and that could be literal.

As a Registered Nurse and a first hand food allergy sufferer with 2 Anaphylaxis reactions under my belt, I can tell you that one must first take responsiblity for ones own health. By accepting your diagnosis then you can move on to managing your condition rather than having your condition manage you. Second, the use of practical and common sense is essential when dealing with food allergies. While we all agree that there are too many "additives, preservatives, hormones, etc" in our foods, the consumption of organic fresh fruits and vegetables is better for your overall health and a must for those with food allergies.
Working with many Doctors, I have discussed the growing cases of childhood allergies and asthma. Some of the commpn things from multiple healthcare providers that keep coming up are: Parents must wake up and realize that taking short cuts as time savers affects our childrens long term health. Starting babies on cereal at a few weeks to a few months is too soon and their digestive systems aren't developed enough to handle yet. Giving children under the age of 2 any peanut product is putting them at a very high risk of serious allergic reaction. While most people wouldn't hand a toddler a snickers, You would be suprised how many children come into the ER due to PB&J's. Then there is the fact that peanuts and soybeans are in everything from food additives to make up. Since we no longer grow our own food, we have to be prudent in reading labels, researching food products, and using basic common sense when selecting our foods for our families. While a lot of parents opt for fixing fast and cost affective dinners out of boxes, I found it's just as fast, usually more inexpensive in the long run, to prepare dinner using fresh ingredients. While its good to be aware of what food producers are doing as cost cutters, again, we have to realistic in our choices of time and money management as well as our own healthcare. Are we just too lazy to cook? While going through the drive in may seem time saving, how are we going to learn what our children and their friends are into when they are ripping into paper bags in the back seat of our automobiles. What ARE we putting into our precious childrens body when we opt for those fast packaged boxed or frozen dinners? I love my internet, dish network, advances in medicine, and all the opportunity and convience technology has given us, But I still take time to consider what a convience really is to me. I accept responsibility for MY choices, good or bad and I honestly enjoy teaching my son the skills in buying and preparing good food. For example, I personally believe butter is better for you over margarine, but I limit the amount and frequency we have it. I know Im allergic to soybeans, so I stay away from prepacked foods, and in a respectful manner, question foods I am unfamilar with. I in no way intend my personal views as an attack on anyone elses beliefs, however I do feel that some seem to jump on the blame wagon, the why me's, and the I can't because I have..... and as a member of the health care field...these excuses, that are seen over and over have become intolerably worn out.