Op Ed

Daily Dose of Poison

By Christina Meehan

$7 for a box of organic crackers, or $3 for a generic brand? In most cases, the $4 difference is a matter of real ingredients vs. ones you can’t even pronounce. In American supermarkets, this is especially a problem because of the unproportional ratio of big brands compared to whole, natural foods, making it difficult for all people to have the option to purchase healthier foods if desired.

Food should be more heavily regulated in America by food laws made by the FDA so that all people can afford safe foods no matter the price point or availability. By getting the public engaged through conversations, protesting, or boycotting food brands until change is made, the government will finally feel the push to change regulations and prioritize food safety. 

You’d be surprised at the amount of harmful additives that are in common foods today. Robyn O’Brien, a concerned mom and author of The Unhealthy Truth, saw her children were acting unlike themselves and suspected food coloring, like Red 40, might be the problem. She tested how one of her sons felt eating processed candy versus not and his mood, irritability, and energy levels drastically got worse with the dyed candy (O’Brien). You’d think that more people would notice these direct effects that things like food dye have on themselves or loved ones, but either they’re not aware, or simply unbothered by the fact that these chemicals and colorings are almost everywhere. Another popular additive is potassium bromate in bread. A professor at the University of Sussex claims, “There is evidence that it may be toxic to human consumers, that it may even either initiate or promote the development of tumors” (Kato). Cancer is a very serious condition that takes many lives each year. Our very health is at risk by eating what we thought was just bread.

However, in America, the food industry has become more of a “business scheme rather than a public health service” (“The Poison Squad”). Lobbyists working with large farming companies like Monsanto pay off government officials to ignore real concerns of citizens and  favor their business instead when making decisions. And, the food side of the FDA, having limited budget 

compared to the drug and medicine department, has barely any attention on this. After a recent outbreak of infant formula killed numerous babies, it took 5 months for them to even start investigating it, and even longer to recall. (Evich) Taking lessons from the past, when Harvey Wiley gathered public support from citizens and women’s suffrage groups to help make ingredient labels mandatory and ban extreme chemicals like formaldehyde or borax from entering our food. (“The Poison Squad”). Through public publicity, government officials finally saw that the food industry would crash if they didn’t take action. With today’s problem of business over health, a public opposition needs to be created.

Consider  the people in your life who are being poisoned with additives daily for the sake of corporate success. We need to prioritize humans above anything else.