With new food additives popping around the food production scene, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of America are having difficulty in discerning the source of food safety concerns. In around a hundred cases, the FDA was not aware of the existence of some new additives in chemical preservatives, flavourings and thickening agent.
Thousands of consumers contacted the FDA to bring forth complaints about additives in recent years, distressed how some certain substances triggered asthmatic attacks, serious vomiting, intestinal tract disorders and other health issues.
Unfortunately, there has been an increase in secret ingredients being added by factories. This could be caused by the decentralising of the food safety certification system, which was created to be more ‘time efficient’. This method means that consumers do not have certainty of safety with the products that they purchase.
Processed food has evolved greatly in the past 50 years. Originally, factories had only 800 additives at hand, but now we count more than 9000. In the past six months, the FDA has realised that drastic changes needs to be e made to better account for the new ingredients in the food supply.
Fifteen years ago, Marlow Foods introduced mycoprotein – a protein-rich fungus which is an additive grown in large fermentation vats. But it is not until recently that the FDA took action. After there were reports of consumer breaking out in hives and had breathing difficulties, the FDA researched a bit more.
For more information, click here.