Every time you shop at your local grocery store, you’re rolling the dice with your health. We’re not just talking about obvious decisions like, “Should I buy a sweet potato or a box of freeze-dried mac and cheese?” We’re talking about products that consumers assume are safe: the jars of “natural” sauces displayed alluringly at your local Whole Foods; the “healthy” potato chips that are baked instead of fried, and the myriad of other products that profess to be natural, safe, or even organic. These are all foods that could contain an estimated 3,000 chemicals that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved—all because Congress said it was okay over 50 years ago.
According to a 2013 report by the PEW Charitable Trusts, in 1958 Congress determined that food additives “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) were fine to enter the market sans independent safety review. Back then, they were talking about “additives” like vinegar and salt; however, these days the same rules are used to sneak in untested chemicals. It’s no surprise that food manufacturers are happy with the status quo. The systems designed to protect consumers are outdated, complicated, and full of loopholes, meaning it’s easier than ever for untested chemicals to wind up in that bag of baked chips. The health dangers from individual chemicals range from a simple allergy to various cancers.