I have to ask: “Mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead, ash, sulfur dioxide. Would you give your child this cocktail of chemicals for breakfast and say, “It’s o.k. just not too much.” Because according to the regulations of the FDA these are just a couple of the poisons allowed in food. With limitations of course, so it’s “safe.”
When my son started preschool I was appalled seeing BBQ sauce, chocolate milk and fruit mixes with syrup on the lunch menu, among a few others. I assume that much of the general populous have a basic conception of what’s good and bad for them. With all the stories, studies, controversy and analysis from both sides (most leaning towards “the good side”), the FDA still insists on feeding our children this concentrated sugar like product.
General research:
High Fructose Corn Syrup
cas # 977042-84-4
(HFCS-55 and HFCS-42)
High-fructose corn syrup is created by changing the glucose, or sugar, in corn starch to fructose. Fructose is another type of sugar. Sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose.
High fructose corn syrup is found in processed foods, from salad dressings to soft drinks. Food manufacturers often use high fructose corn syrup because it is cheaper than sugar. It also extends the shelf life for processed foods
Raises your risk for conditions like high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes.
In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides.
Intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages may increase levels of uric acid, a compound linked to decreased kidney function, and a cross-sectional analysis of data from almost 16,000 people found that the risk of chronic kidney disease increased by over 150 percent in those who more than one soda per day and had high levels of uric acid.
Several chemicals are required to make HFCS, including caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, alpha-amylase, gluco-amylase, isomerse, filter aid, powdered carbon, calcium chloride, and magnesium sulfate
Current international food processing standards allow 1.0 μg mercury/g caustic soda and there is no standard for mercury in food grade hydrochloric acid. Both of these chemicals may be used to make HFCS.
One manufactures profile of High Fructose Corn Syrup
Calories 308 cal/100 g
Moisture 23.0 g/100 g
Protein 0.01 g/100g
Ash 0.05 g/100 g
Carbohydrates 77.0 g/100 g
Simple sugar 98.0 g/100 g
Total Fat 0.10 g/100 g
Dietary Fiber 0.10 g/100 g
Cholesterol 0.10 mg/100 g
Trans Fatty 0.10 g/100 g
Acid
Biotin 0.01 mg/100 g
Niacin 0.05 mg/ 100 g
Pantothenic 0.30 mg/100 g
Acid
Riboflavin 0.01 mg/100 g
Thiamin 0.05 mg/ 100 g
Vitamin A 15 IU/100 g
Vitamin B6 0.05 mg/100 g
Vitamin B12 0.30 mg/100 g
Vitamin C 0.05 mg/100 g
Arsenic 0.10 mg/100 g
Cadmium 0.05 mg/100 g
Caffeine 0.50 mg/100 g
Calcium 1.0 mg/ 100 g
Chloride 1.0 mg/100 g
Chromium 0.05 mg/100 g
Copper 0.10 mg/100 g
Fluoride 0.10 mg/100 g
Iron 0.05 mg/100 g
Lead 0.01 mg/100 g
Magnesium 0.01 mg/100 g
Mercury 0.01 mg/100 g
Molybdenum 0.10 mg/100 g
Phosphorus 0.01 mg/100 g
Potassium 0.05 mg/100 g
Selenium 0.10 mg/100 g
Sodium 1.0 mg/100 g
Sulfur Dioxide 0.30 mg/100 g
Zinc 0.10 mg/100 g
Production of HFCS
FDA G.R.A.S. list
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnNavigation.cfm?rpt=eafusListing
Resources
http://www.cargillfoods.com/wcm/groups/public/@cseg/@food/@all/documents/document/na3014968.pdf
http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/184.1866
http://www.livestrong.com/article/278675-the-definition-of-fructose-corn-syrup/
When you see something that is "hazardous by definition", toxic, poisonous or corrosive and it's in the food you're eating, you would surely have to stop, think and ask, "That's going to go in me. Wait... It passes through the placental barrier? It decreases the testicular weight in mice? It's produced with volvano ash? It's processed with asbestos and krypton gas?"
Now, my main argument is this: If you know the food additive is toxic, corrosive or hazardous by definition, if it requires flammable or corrosive DOT stickers while transporting, if it has saftey precautions, spill procedures and you must wear suitable protective clothing while handling... Can you even assume it's safe to eat?
Irregardless of the exposure limits, the actual amount in food itself, how many regulations and standards there are or how low the toxicity may be... It is the general principle that the additives are still put in the foods you eat on a daily basis. I personally don't believe that when a tomato is dropped you have to evacuate the area and seal off the exits. Because that is exactly the procedure for some of the chemcial agents the FDA allowed in food.
