by THOMAS on Apr 22, 2015 • 11:44 am
The public has a right to know what is in the food we buy and that the food supply will do us no harm. Government agencies such as the FDA are supposed to be protecting the public from the dangers of harmful additives in food and potentially dangerous drugs. This brings us to a “fast track” policy called GRAS or “Generally Recognized as Safe” rule that was instituted back in 1958, yes that was not a misprint that allowed the food manufacturing industry to add substances to the food supply without direct approval from the FDA. This did not mean that the FDA necessarily approved it but fell into a category that was generally recognized as safe? However the result of this rule has been the ever increasing number of additives entering into our food supply. Another factor is the potential for adverse interactions between several food additives. If you combine this with the fact that the FDA has been consistently underfunded over the years, this creates an unprecedented dangerous situation with respect to our food supply. The evidence of this is the increasing occurrences of serious health consequences to the public. Everything from poisonings, diseases from bacteria such an e-coli, to allergic anaphylactic reactions causing severe illnesses and death. Another indication that our food supply is in trouble is the ever increasing numbers of recalls from all sectors of the food industry. The meat and poultry industry alone are responsible for an ever increasing number of recalls.
So what is the answer to the problem of our food supply? Well the simple solution to all this would be to stop eating processed food and return to a basic diet because it is the processed food that contains all of the additives. Just look at the ingredient panel on packaged and prepared foods and you will find flavor enhancing agents such as glutamates and yeast proteins, preservatives such as nitrates and nitrites and BHA and BHT, and all sorts of additional sweeteners and coloring agents. A basic diet is one that contains whole food; simple unadulterated food that is prepared in simply straight forward ways. This would be a diet rich in nutrients from vegetables, nuts and seeds, pasture raised beef, bison, cows, chickens, lamb, and sustainable fish from the ocean and farm fresh eggs. This may sound complicated to some but it is really very simple. It is a concept and it does require some education for those folks used to eating the opposite ways but it is safe, healthier, and will make this country and the world a safer place to live.
With respect to prescription medications, there has been a huge influx of medications that have entered the market within the last decade and the research associated with most of these medications has been performed by the drug companies themselves. This is a direct conflict of interest for the public due to the fact that the FDA is relying on this information to make decisions on whether to allow these drugs to be sold. The other less publicized concern is the increase in over counter medications which the public assumes are completely safe.
The number one concern of our governmental regulatory agencies should be the health and safety of our citizens, not the financial security of the processed food and pharmaceutical industries.