1. Propyl Gallate is an artificial food additive, that is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

2. It is a whitish crystalline powder.

3. You may find propyl gallate in meat products, microwaveable popcorn, soup mixes, chewing gum, mayonnaise, and frozen meals.

4. It has antioxidant properties, which means it helps stop oxygen molecules from mixing with the oil in food, causing the food to go rancid.

5. Propyl gallate is also denoted E310.

6. Some studies on rats have shown that propyl gallate may cause cancer.

7. Other side effect of consumption are stomach and skin irritability, as well as allergic reactions that impact breathing. It may also cause kidney and liver problems.

9. In some cases, to improve its efficacy, propyl gallate is used in conjunction with 2 other preservatives – BHA and BHT – which are also suspect as carcinogenic.

10. Although the FDA considers propyl gallate safe, in other countries it is either banned or very limited in use.

What to do at the supermarket:

Propyl Gallate is not a super popular additive. Go over the ingredient list of suspect products and try to avoid foods that contain it.

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We’ve been following developments in nutrition rating schemes and front of package labeling for quite some time. Smart Choices is a labeling system that informs consumers which products are a nutritious choice using a green check mark as a quick glance visual cue. The selection criteria is based on nutrients in the foods, and has been defined by the food industry together with nutrition experts. This bias has created an unobjective system, whose purpose is to help sell more products under the guise of nutrition and health.

Here is a perfect example – Smart Choices has recently been spotted in supermarkets across the country on products such as breakfast cereals, including the sugary kid stuff. If we needed any further proof that this benchmark system is NOT IN THE HEALTH INTEREST of consumers,  take a look at Froot Loops, which has received the coveted “Smart Choice” checkmark. Froot Loops is manufactured by Kellogg’s, one of the members of Smart Choices.

What you need to know:

Let’s look at the Ingredient List and Nutrition Panel:

Sugar, Corn Flour, Wheat Flour, Whole Oat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (One or More of: Coconut, Cottonseed, and Soybean) (Less than 0.5 g Trans Fat Per Serving), Salt, Sodium Ascorbate and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Reduced Iron, Natural Orange, Lemon, Cherry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Lime, and Other Natural Flavors, Red No. 40, Blue No. 2, Yellow No. 6, Zinc Oxide, Niacinamide, Turmeric Color, Blue No. 1, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Palmitate, Annatto Color, BHT (Preservative), Folic Acid, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12.

The first ingredient is sugar! In fact, Froot Loops is 41% sugar by weight. And Whoa(!) partially hydrogenate vegetable oil too. Doesn’t sound like a smart choice to us. A 1 oz serving (which by the way is too small for regular people) contains 12 grams of sugar – that’s 3 teaspoons. 48 of the 110 calories per serving are from sugar.

And check out the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil – that’s trans fat folks, even if there is less than half a gram per serving, it adds up to 8 grams in a box. People should not consume ANY trans fat during the day.

Additionally, there is less than 1 oz of fiber per serving, and as you probably know, breakfast cereals are expected to be an important source of fiber.

The rainbow of artificial colors (Red No. 40, Blue No. 2, Yellow No. 6) are of a dubious nature, as some may contribute to hyperactivity in kids. Europe is twisting manufacturers’ arms to get rid of the colors voluntarily.

And another note, on marketing to kids. Froot Loops, like many other kids focused “food”, has a thoroughly entertaining website filled with games and activities, all of which are embedded with froot loops and other branding messages. What a way to burn a brand into our children’s young and impressionable minds. To ease some corporate guilt, or most likely at the advice of their legal team, Kellogg’s has a tiny disclaimer at the bottom of the page that we’re sure all kids read before playing:

KIDS: This page may contain a product or promotion advertisement.
Remember, you should get a parent’s permission before you try to buy anything online or give information about yourself.

Please, please food industry executives – stop indoctrinating our children to eat crap. You have kids too!

What to do at the supermarket:

Do not trust health claims or cutesy checkmarks and recommendations on product packages. Look at the ingredient list and the nutrition panel. There should be less than 6 grams of sugar per serving, 3 grams or more of fiber, NO partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and no artificial food colorings.

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Health claims on processed food packages are usually nothing more than marketing messages. So when Kellogg’s plasters the word “IMMUNITY” in quadruple font on the front of its Rice Krispies breakfast cereal, we just have to take a peek (thanks to Fooducate reader TD for the heads up).

We took a look at the product nutrition information and at the Rice Krispies website. We’re not sure if this is a new formulation or just a new marketing campaign, but this is what Kellogg’s boasts:

“Now each and every box is fortified with vitamins and nutrients that work together to help support your child’s immunity.”

“The cereal you love, invisibly better”.

Great pitch folks. Now let’s analyze the facts…

Read more…

It’s not the most important meal of the day. And it’s not the heartiest either. Lunch, the get-it-on-the-run or have-it-at-the-computer meal doesn’t get enough respect. And how could it, when products like Oscar Meyer’s Lunchable’s take its name in vain.

We tried and tried to find something healthy and nutritious among the dozens of Lunchable products. Unfortunately all we encountered was a nutrition desert, left in shambles by sodium blizzards and trans fat torrents.

Read on for an analysis of Oscar Meyer’s Lunchables Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers… Read more…

It’s been a classic American cheese product for over 60 years. Three generations of Americans have been using Kraft Singles in billions of sandwich melts and burgers over the years.

In this third and last installment of our Cheese Miniseries, we’ll  take a look inside each slice.

part 1 – Thirteen Cheese Facts
part 2 – What is Processed Cheese?
part 3 – Inside the Label – Kraft Singles [you are here]

The product’s full name is Kraft Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product. It cannot be called cheese because less than 51% of it is actually cheese. The rest is composed of other ingredients. Read more…

A recent study conduced by Italian researchers found that two commonly used food additives have the ability to alter human hormones. From The Daily Green:

More than 3,000 preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients are added to food in the United States, and none of them are required to undergo testing for estrogenic activity, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The two suspect additives are:

1. propyl gallate – used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling.  Used in baked goods, shortening, dried meats, candy, fresh pork sausage, mayonnaise and dried milk.

2. 4-hexyl resorcinol – prevents shellfish such as shrimp and lobsters from discoloring.

What you need to know:

Food additives are part of food, and always have been. Sugar, salt, and vinegar are probably the oldest known kinds of additives, used as preservatives. Other additives are used to preserve or enhance coloring, improve a food’s texture or viscosity, and to add vitamins and minerals.

As food engineering advances, so do the chemical compounds that make up the various additives. Unfortunately, not all effects of a certain chemical are immediately apparent. It may take decades to understand that a certain compound is responsible for averse health conditions.

Additives won’t be going away any time soon. The B2B market for additives is projected to grow to $33 Billion in a few years!

What to do at the supermarket:

By law, a product’s ingredient list must show the additives used. If you see a long list with unknown terms, you can be sure that some are additives. The best way to avoid them is to buy minimally or non processed foods, usually found in the outer perimeter of the supermarket. These basic products require you to cook, bake, or otherwise prepare them. It will take you more time and effort than popping a TV dinner in the microwave, but you’ll enjoy a healthier and tastier meal.

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1. Sodium Benzoate (E211) is a preservative used to prevent food from molding.

2. It is especially used to preserve acidic foods and beverages such as pickles, salad dressings, fruit juices, and soft drinks.

3. An unfortunate side effect is that when mixed with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) sodium benzoate transforms into benzene, a known carcinogen and DNA damager.

4. The rate at which benzene is formed is affected by light and heat, as well as the time spent on a shelf from production to consumption.

5. The FDA has limited usage of sodium benzoate to 0.1% of a product by weight. The limit for safe drinking water as set by the US government is less than 5 parts per billion (far less tolerance).

6. Some studies have shown that sodium benzoate along with artificial food colorings can cause children with ADHD to be more hyperactive.

7. Coca Cola announced in 2008 that it would remove sodium benzoate from its products by the end of the the year.

8. A close relative of sodium benzoate is pottasium benzoate (E212), also known as benzoic acid.

9. Sodium benzoate is found naturally in tiny amounts in fruits such as cranberries, prunes, and apples.

What to do at the supermarket:

Look closely at ingredient lists and try to avoid products that include sodium benzoate.

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