Health: What foods are banned in Europe that are not banned in the U/ Mouse Loves Summer.

Q. What foods are banned in Europe that are not banned in the United States, and what are the implications of eating those foods? A. The European Union prohibits or severely restricts many food additives that have been linked to cancer that are still used in American-made bread, cookies, soft drinks and other processed foods. Europe also bars the use of several drugs that are used in farm animals in the United States, and many European countries limit the cultivation and import of genetically modified foods. “In some cases, food-processing companies will reformulate a food product for sale in Europe” but continue to sell the product with the additives in the United States, said Lisa Y. Lefferts, senior scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety advocacy organization. A 1958 amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibits the Food and Drug Administration from approving food additives that are linked to cancer, but an agency spokeswoman said that many substances that were in use before passage of the amendment, known as the Delaney amendment, are considered to have had prior approval and “therefore are not regulated as food additives.” In October, the F.D.A. agreed to ban six artificial flavoring substancesshown to cause cancer in animals, following petitions and a lawsuit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and other organizations. The F.D.A. insists the six artificial flavors “do not pose a risk to public health,” but concedes that the law requires it not approve the food additives. Food companies will have at least two years to remove them from their products. Here’s a short list of some of the food additives restricted by the European Union but allowed in American foods. Most must be listed as ingredients on the labels, though information about drugs used to increase the yield in farm animals is generally not provided. Potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide (ADA) These additives are commonly added to baked goods, but neither is required, and both are banned in Europe because they may cause cancer.  BHA and BHT The flavor enhancers and preservatives BHA and BHT are subject to severe restrictions in Europe but are widely used in American food products.  Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) BVO is used in some citrus-flavored soft drinks like Mountain Dew and in some sports drinks to prevent separation of ingredients, but it is banned in Europe. Yellow food dyes No. 5 and No. 6, and Red Dye No. 40 These dyes can be used in foods sold in Europe, but the products must carry a warning saying the coloring agents “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” No such warning is required in the United States, though the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the F.D.A. in 2008 to ban the dyes. Farm Animal Drugs The European Union also bans some drugs that are used on farm animals in the United States, citing health concerns. These drugs include bovine growth hormone, which the United States dairy industry uses to increase milk production.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/well/eat/food-additives-banned-europe-united-states.html Story: Mouse Loves Summer. By Lauren Thompson