Preserved to Death

With cancer and heart-attack rates steadily increasing and obesity on the rise in America, consumers are starting to focus on the foods they are putting into their bodies. Many have started purchasing items like Nutra-Grain Bars, microwave popcorn, reduced fat pastries, and margarine in order to provide healthy-alternatives for their families. But are these “healthy” foods really beneficial? Although these products are fortified with vitamins and are lower in calories than most boxed snacks, they all contain preservatives. New research is indicating that these additives are not only unhealthy, but could also be worse for consumers than just saturated fats or home cooked desserts. In fact, the health risks and damaging effects that these chemical additions are known to cause should turn just about anyone away from eating them, ever.

The chemicals found most often in American foods include hydrogenated oils, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), nitrates, sulfites, and sodium benzoate. All of these chemicals are toxic at substantial amounts but are relatively easy to obtain. In truth, Americans are exposed to them everyday. Although preservatives are very functional in the food-manufacturing world, they are responsible for thousands of preventable deaths every year. So why do companies continue to use these ingredients when creating their products?

The answer is simple: longer shelf life. Preservatives serve as either antimicrobials (preventing bacterial growth) or antioxidants (preventing foods from going rancid). Take hydrogenated oils for example. According to Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, journalist for the Jerusalem Post, “Unsaturated fats, such as those derived from olives, avocados, corn, and canola (rapeseed) are healthful, but when exposed to the air, after a while they can go rancid by absorbing oxygen and then decompose” (7). To prevent this from happening in their products, companies use preservatives that do not decompose in the presence of oxygen. Their products can remain, untouched, on shelves for years and will still taste the same when taken home for consumption. These oils and additives, which are much more affordable than healthy vegetable oils, prevent wasted foods and rushed shipping. The FDA seems to agree that the benefits of using preservatives outweigh the potential risk that they pose for consumers. After all, no one is forcing people to eat foods laden with chemicals.

In fact, many lines of organic and preservative-free foods have recently hit the market. o It is now possible to buy the equivalent of almost any food without added chemicals. Unfortunately, though these foods have fewer ingredients, they often are not name brand, are not low calorie, and carry a higher price tag. Also, repeatedly reading ingredients lists turns simple grocery shopping into a time consuming hunt. People know about the dangers of the chemicals, but they do not have the time or concern to change their actions. According to the Hartman Group, a Chicago consultancy, “although a majority of consumers have heard about trans fats,” only “14% are likely tactively avoid them” as cited in Unmesh (54). After all, most of the damaging effects are not even fully expressed until it is too late to reverse them. Americans continue to consume preservatives despite known health risks.

People have learned to trust the FDA and the products that they eat and have eaten since they were small children. As a result, they are steadily digging their graves with knives and forks. The fact of the matter is that “off-the-shelf” products are nutritionally void. The process of refining and preserving foods destroys thermoliable substances. There are calories to digest, but no nutrients to aid in digesting them. What is even more incredible is the fact that so many nutrients are removed from the refined foods that the Federal government requires that some of the nutrients be added back. After all, the diets of many Americans are comprised solely of processed foods. These “fortified” and “enriched” foods are often thought of to be healthful because they have “added” nutrients. Preservatives are steadily supplementing the healthy façade that is so prevalent in our grocery stores.

Unfortunately, lack of nutrition is not the only problem with using preservatives in food. In all actuality, these handy tools are among our nation’s greatest health risks. They have been linked to cancers, high cholesterol, preeclampsia, ulcerative colitis, and most strongly to heart disease. “Yet according to Julie Miller Jones, a professor of foods and nutrition at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., and author of Food Safety (Eagan Press, $89), average Americans eat their weight in food additives every year” (Murphy, 2005). The amount of damaging effects are astronomical.

Dr. Kathleen Koehler, an epidemiologist at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in Washington, calculates that just removing trans fats from all margarine would prevent approximately 6,300 heart attacks and 2,100 deaths in the US each year; additionally, removing trans fats from just 3 percent of breads and cakes and 15% of cookies and crackers would prevent an estimated 17,100 heart attacks, including 5,600 deaths (qtd. in Siegel-Itzkovich 7).

So, what exactly do preservatives execute inside a human body that causes all of these problems? Although each preservative affects the body in different ways, they are almost all suspected to be mutanagenic. That is, they can induce or speed up mutations in the body. Some are even known to build up in muscle or fat cells causing small daily exposures to result in more extreme toxicity. Others bind with chemicals already present in the body to create extremely potent carcinogenic compounds. Each chemical however, comes with its own set of health problems.

The most common preservatives used in today’s foods are hydrogenated oils. Naturally, all fatty molecules have a curved shape or cis-configuration. This smooth curvature allows the molecules to fit neatly inside a cell membrane and into other structures inside of a cell. When exposed to heat, however, unsaturated fatty acids can conform into a trans-configuration or trans-fat. This new configuration is no longer curved, but jointed. According to Andrew Weil, “the body cannot incorporate trans-fatty acids into membranes, and if it tries to do so, deformed cellular structures may result.” Round cells trying to absorb jagged molecules end up tearing themselves apart. These damaged cells can cause all sorts of problems for the body.

One of these problems is ulcerative colitis (UC), an inflammatory bowel disease that causes irritation and lesions in the lining of the large intestine. One investigation “found that ingestion of certain high-fat foods (particularly margarine) was associated with increased risk of UC” (Truestar). Compared with the general population, ulcerative colitis sufferers have an increased risk for colorectal cancer. Having UC is not the only cause of colorectal cancer, however.

In a recent study, Harvard researchers examined 38,000 females who ate fried restaurant food (made with hydrogenated oils) an average of twice a week for 9 years. They found that the women had an 86% greater risk for colorectal cancer. Many defenders of hydrogenated oils claimed that it was unfair to single the oils out when fried foods contain hundreds of ingredients. In 2005, Gloria McVeigh pointed out that “the scientist suspect that trans fats may promote cancer by interfering with cells’ ability to create protective membranes” (100). This interference, combined with an unhealthy diet, can easily lead to mutations and cancers in any unaware consumer.

Preeclampsia is another risk that not only affects 200,000 American mothers-to-be, but also their children. It is “a leading cause of maternal illness and death,” distressing about one out of every 12 pregnancies (Ascribe Newswire 3). Preeclampsia creates a problem with blood circulation and causes extremely high blood pressure. This high blood pressure can affect the mother’s kidneys, liver, brain, and placenta, which in turn harms the fetus. However, physical health problems are not the only things caused by this disease. “Some women report . . . that they are never the (same,” with complications beginning immediately postpartum (Ascribe Newswire 3). Although the initial cause of preeclamsia is unknown a “preliminary trail suggest[ed] [that] diets high in trans fatty acids are associated with an increased risk” of the disease (Truestar).

High cholesterol is another problem directly related to the consumption of trans fats. Margarine, which contains some of the highest levels of trans fats, is linked to adverse changes in cholesterol quantity. Massimo Marcone, a professor of food science at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada stated that, “Most trans fat appear to increase levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, while at the same time lowering levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol” (qtd. in Dombrow and McMurray 59). High cholesterol can lead to buildup on artery walls which can cause peripheral arterial disease, stroke, and, most commonly, coronary artery disease, which often leads to heart attacks.

Heart disease is the most common result of a diet high in trans fats. In a recent nutrition article, Shandley McMurray and Carol Dombrow stated that, “Eating just one gram of trans fat a day – that’s one store bought cookie – can, over a couple of decades, increase your risk of heart disease by 20 percent” (59). There are 35,000 fatal strokes and heart attacks a year in the United States alone. That’s 35,000 families that are one member shorter because they were unaware that they were slowly being poisoned.

Another group of common, yet dangerous preservatives that are used in the U.S. are butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). These similar chemicals are used in everything from cereals and shortenings to meats, butters, and even the packaging that food is sold in. They aid in preservation by acting as anti-oxidants. Because oxygen would rather react with the preservative, the fats and lipids in the preserved food remain unspoiled. However, many studies have concurred that BHA and BHT increase the risk of cancer in humans.

Another frightening aspect of BHA and BHT is its tendency to accumulate in adipose tissue. Although many experiments have shown that rats can readily metabolize and excrete the additives, a recent study done by H. B. Conacher, F. Iverson, P. Y. Lau, and B. D. Page provided results that did not correlate with the rat studies. Their experiment compared data of the amounts of BHT and BHA stored in the adipose tissue of rats with the amount stored in the adipose tissue of humans. Their results showed a higher tendency of humans to store the chemicals in their tissue. This is potentially harmful to the consumer because it can make small everyday exposures develop into large lifetime problems.

Many studies performed on rats, an animal that usually correlates well with humans, have shown that liver enlargement and increased liver weight occur. Tumor growth is often responsible for this increase in mass. Within five weeks of administering BHT to rats, a significant increase in the level of serum cholesterol and phospholipids in the rat’s body occurs. In humans, the liver is responsible for over 500 vital functions, including key metabolic and digestive processes. It is also the largest gland in the human body making it key to endocrine functions as well. With this in mind, it is easy to see how slight damages to the liver can easily result in problems for the entire organism.

BHT is also detrimental to many cells in the body. It is known to retard the rate of DNA synthesis. This in turn hampers and sometimes even inhibits cell development. Damaged cells do not only individually function improperly, but also are unable to work together. For example, butylated hydroxytolune has been reported to cause extensive hemmorages in animals due to a disruption of the blood coagulation mechanism. This leads not only to improper function, but also improper wound response.

Lastly, BHA and BHT have been linked to behavior problems in young children. Dr. Bob F. Feingold concluded at the end of an eight-year study that “episodes of behavioral problems including irritability, impulsiveness, poor sleep patterns, chronic bed wetting and short attention span” were all directly related to the consumption of BHA and BHT.

Nitrates comprise another group of commonly consumed preservatives. Sodium nitrate, for example, is listed on almost every package of processed meat available at grocery stores. It is important for manufactures because it preserves the meat’s red color. Consumers are strongly influenced by color. People will buy months-old meat that is red, even if the true color is fetid gray.

Nitrates are not harmful in themselves, however. It’s our own bodies that do the damage during digestion. Nitrate is endogenously broken down into nitrite through bacterial and other reactions in the digestive tract. Nitrite is then further reduced to N-nitroso compounds.

Nitrite consumption is directly liked to the development of methemoglobinemia in infants. Methemoglobinemia is a disorder of the oxygen carrying red blood cells of the body. Red blood cells are comprised of four hemoglobin chains, which are each comprised of four polypeptide chains. Each of these chains is associated with four heme groups. Each heme group contains a ferrous iron molecule. These ferrous iron molecules can readily bind with oxygen, release the oxygen to tissues, and then return to its ferrous state to repeat the process.

When the hemoglobin is oxidized it is transformed into a ferric state, or methemoglobin. Because this molecule lacks the electron that is necessary in binding with oxygen, it is unable to do so. The blood cells are incapable of delivering oxygen throughout the body. Methemoglobinemia is often referred to as “blue- baby” syndrome because it makes the skin of Caucasian children appear to be blue. Although death can occur at smaller levels, morbidity usually occurs when the number of methemoglobin cells in the body reaches 70%.

As mentioned before, nitrates also break down into N-nitroso compounds (NOCs).

According to the National Academy of Sciences, NOCs are some of the strongest known carcinogens. They act very methodically within the body. NOCs have been shown to induce cancer not only in a variety of organs, but also a variety (over 40) of animals, including higher primates.

So the not-so- toxic nitrates actually do have damaging effects on the body, and pretty profound ones at that. Although the relationship between illness and nitrates is an indirect one, it is still present. The risks are astronomical. Nitrates are found not only in food such as lettuce, celery, spinach, ect., but also in cigarette smoke, drinking water, and even some of the prescription medications allotted to make us feel better.

Sulfites are preservatives commonly used to avert discoloration of light-colored fruits and vegetables, prevent black spots on seafood, inhibit the growth of microorganisms in fermented foods such as wine, condition dough, and sustain certain medications. They are also used as bleach for certain starches and can even be found in cellophane packaging. They occur both naturally and artificially. The U.S. government has considered sulfites to be safe since they were first approved for use in the 1800s. However, at least one out of every hundred citizens in the U.S. has a condition known as sulfite sensitivity.

Sensitivity can develop at any time during a person’s life and is most common in asthmatics. The University of Florida states that sulfite induced reactions can lead to an array of “dermatological, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular symptoms” (Grotheer, Marshall, & Simonne, 2005). The most common response, however, is Bronchoconstriction. This is when, as a result of a stimulus, the smooth muscle surrounding the lungs contracts. This contraction causes a narrowing of the airways, making it difficult to breath. Bronchoconstriction is often characterized by shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing, although this condition usually resolves itself within three hours.

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative commonly used to prevent the growth of yeast, bacteria, and fungi. Because this preservative only works in acidic conditions it is most prevalent in items like juices, jams, soy sauces, mustards, salad dressing, preserves and carbonated drinks. On ingredients lists, sodium benzoate is often abbreviated as E211. The International Programme on Chemical Safety has deemed sodium benzoate as a relativly safe chemical, stating that when administed dirrectley to humans, there were no adverse effects.

So what is the big deal? These results failed to take into account that when mixed with sorbic acid, the “safe” preservative transforms into the known cancinogen benzene. Sorbic acid in laymen’s terms is vitamin C. According to Professor Gleen Lawrence of Long Island University, sorbic acid is added to certain soft drinks to encourage people to buy them, but it also naturally occurs in most preserves and juices. Products that people buy because they belive them to be healthy could actually be haiving the reverse affect on their bodies. Benzene has been shown to produce leukemia and other blood cancers in patients. According to Rajeev Syal, even “the Food and Drug Administration registered its concern about the possible long-term effects on health” (Syal, 2006).

The information is available. Food additives are chemicals and all of the above are not only very commonly used, but also all have detrimental affects on the human body. Allow a point to be represented: Americans eat their weight in preservatives every year. They not only cover their own plates in chemicals, but the plates of their children and friends. The increase in heart diseases, obesity, and cancers that we have seen over the past few years is the result of none other than what we put into our bodies.

So why do Americans not actively avoid preservatives and chemical additives. After all, there are many organic and natural alternatives readily available. Natural food stores and even farmer’s markets are present in almost every large city, and even name-brand products are beginning to make additive-free foods that are sold at major chain stores like Wal-Mart and Kroger.

There are several hypotheses as to why people continue to eat the things that they do. It is believed that advertising, convenience, and habit are all specific causes of routine preservative consumption. Although most Americans are aware that preservatives are not good for the body, it can also be argued that negative aspects are not highly publicized because of legal ramifications and financial aspects.

Although shoppers may not realize it, advertisements play a huge factor in determining what they consume. Brand recognition, habit, and price not only influence customers to buy a product, but are all directly related to marketing. Although advertisement campaigns are expensive, preservative filled manufactured foods are not. As a result, more money is spent pushing new products and creating a desire for unhealthy foods.

New published studies are demonstrating just how strongly these advertisements influence people, especially young children. A research project organized by Shanthy Bowman showed a direct correlation between number of hours spent watching television and daily caloric intake. With every hour spent in front of the television above the recommended limit of 2 hours a day, the number of consumed calories increased exponentially. Bowman said that the correlation was most likely the result of snacking on unhealthy junk foods that are often advertised on popular children’s channels.

Influence is not the largest problem with advertisements, however. The true harm lies with the habit of most advertisers to completely misrepresent their products. Foods that may be low in fat or calories are often advertised as being healthy. However, the fact that these foods contain so many chemical additives that they are potentially cancer bombs is left unmentioned. These “health” and “diet” foods that are often advertised as ways for people to become heart healthy could contain the exact additives that first began the corrosion of their arteries, the ones that raised their levels of LDL cholesterol, while in turn decreasing the HDL. Studies also show that preservatives could be the reason they are retaining so much weight in the first place. In light of this information, these “healthy” options do not seem so tasteful anymore.

Although misrepresentation leads to confusion in adults, most alarming is the confusion among children. The vulnerability and acceptance of children is often forgotten by parents and played upon by advertisers. Advertising firms, who first realized the potential of marketing to children in the 1960’s, are not only fully aware of their abilities to manipulate young minds, but also of the amount of control that children indirectly exert on their parent’s wallets. Children are a vast market of never ending consumers and millions are spent every year just to mold them into they type of consumers desired by companies.

The benefit of the child market is also multi-variabeled. Not only do the youth provide instant gratification to the advertisements, they also help to insure the future of the products as well. Children who create positive associations with a product will be more likely to continue to use it. They are also more apt to buy it for their own offspring without thinking twice. They perpetuate a lifestyle that ignores the consequences of preservative consumption.

It is not uncommon for many Americans to function solely by habit. In fact, that response is natural. All living things perform the actions that have helped them to survive for years. A busy mother is probably not going to spend her time and money experimenting with new cereals made with organic grains and packaged in boxes with no BHT, any more than a hungry shark would wait for a halibut when a tuna is right within his grasp.

Unfortunately, the “habit” might not be a habit at all, but more of an addiction. Most preservative containing foods also contain the common food additive, monosodium glutamate (MSG). This sneaky chemical comes disguised as a flavor enhancer but has been known to serve an even greater purpose for manufacturers. MSG works by not only making the consumer crave more of the food, but also help to prevent them from feeling full. It is one of the only chemicals that is successful in making rats obese for testing. MSG adds new meaning to common advertising slogans like Lay’s “Betcha can’t eat just one.” Couple the human nature of eating for pleasure rather than necessity with additives that play off of this characteristic and it is easy to see why the health problem in America is so severe.

However, according to the Heartman group, most consumers are aware that there are some dangers associated with the consumption of preservatives and food additives. It is not complicated or difficult to access information from the vast amount of recent research on the subject either. Sadly, most Americans are simply too lazy to change their actions. In a country where convenience is key and any activity involving more than minimal brain use is shunned away as dorky or weird it is easy to see why most people would rather grab the JIF peanut butter that they grew up with rather than opt for an all natural brand. After all that would not only involve reading labels but also figuring out how to stir it without spilling any oil on the countertop.

Grocery shopping is all about convenience and ease. Stores are organized and brands are easily recognizable. Most of today’s shoppers think of shopping as a chore rather than a pastime. It is all about getting in, grabbing what you need, and going on to the next task. Sadly, finding foods without chemicals in them is extremely time consuming. In stores with hundreds of choices, only a few of them will be additive and preservative free. Many also claim this on their packaging, but without reading ingredients lists a shopper can never be quite sure. Reading the labels of every option to find the one that does not contain hydrogenated oils or BHT makes in and out shopping almost impossible. It may also increase the amount of money a consumer would have to spend on groceries. Fresh food is almost always more expensive than non-fresh food. Companies that do not have to rush shipping or throw away food after it has been on shelves for months save a lot of money. However, fresh, unpreserved foods have to be immediately sent to stores where if they are not bought within a short period of time, they are simply thrown away. To make up for the money lost in marketing fresh foods, manufacturers often are forced to charge more for their products. Take the popular cereal, Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, for example. Every 14 oz box of this children’s treat contains hydrogenated rapeseed and cottonseed oils along with BHT. It is usually priced at about $5.50 a box, depending on where it is purchased. Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, a comparable cereal made with all natural organic peanut butter and organic corn meal is a little pricier. A 10 oz box can be bought for a minimum of five dollars. Take into consideration the once difference and the shelf life and it is easy to see why most people would rather eat the chemicals. Although an extra dollar doesn’t seem like much to many, adding that extra dollar to almost everything on a grocery list can really start to add up. It takes a lot of motivation to not only change a shopper’s actions, but also to commit to spending more of their hard earned money.

Unfortunately, that motivation is hard to come by. Advertisements for brands that do not contain chemicals are rare. There is just nothing to counter all of the popular, chemical rich foods that cover TV screens. The government is no help either. They like the amount of money being spent on foods, doctor bills, and medicines. It is good for our capitalist society. Nothing is wasted and more shopping is done. Notice the popular government campaign promoting the food pyramid. The emphasis is on the types of foods eaten and measurements of calories and fat, not on what the food is actually made of.

Large food manufacturers continue to compromise the health of their customers for their own monetary power. After all, according to a recent article by the Washington post, most (64%) confused consumers turn to and rely on information from food packaging. That means the information they trust is coming from the people only considering their wallets. “Food manufacturers and supermarkets see the widespread confusion about nutrition in the grocery aisle as a rich marketing opportunity, and they are moving quickly to take on the roles of guide and educator,” the Post wrote. “By helping consumers through the thicket of information, they believe, they can also steer shoppers to their own stores and products.” Accurate dietary information is confusing and limited. The manufactures use this to be a sort of guiding light to shoppers. Although some of the information provided is correct, some of it most defiantly is not. After all, as absurd as it may sound, most manufacturers are more concerned with their profit margin than they are with their consumer.

However, there are a few companies, organizations, and individuals that work to educate Americans about their food choices and offer them alternatives. Large chain stores like Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats not only promote healthy lifestyle choices, they also provide printed, un-biased information in their stores for consumers to read. Many also offer educational classes throughout the week to help keep their shoppers informed on a wide variety of topics from recipes to homeopathic health care.

Some foods sold at these stores are produced by companies that care for their consumers. These manufacturers use all natural and often organic ingredients. Clif Bars, for example, were created by two hikers who were tired of eating energy bars made from unpronounceable things. They believe that energy can come from natural foods, and that energy bars do not have to taste like play dough. Their company, which began as a small one-kitchen operation, is now producing natural energy bars that are sold throughout the world.

Nature’s Path is another brand that is not only concerned with the health of its consumers, but also the health of the world. Its products are all completely natural and organic. However, most of them are also packed full of nutrients and vitamins. Their children’s breakfast cereal (Envirokidz) comes in a variety of delicious flavors, and they are all nutritionally sound. Also, a portion of the profit from every box that is sold goes to wonderful causes like saving the rainforest or sustaining endangered animals. They have created a company that not only helps its customers and workers, but that does good things for the world as a whole.

Corporations are not the only ones trying to make a difference, however. Stephen L. Joseph, a successful lawyer from California, first became aware of the epidemic related to trans fats when his stepfather died of heart disease. After careful research, Joseph realized that the trans fats his father regularly consumed could have easily been the cause of his death. Joseph began a campaign to change the views of people around the world. He decided to start big by aiming small. He first sued Kraft foods in may of 2003 in an attempt to stop them from marketing their trans-fat laden Oreos to young children. The lawsuit was withdrawn when Kraft announced that they would reformulate the Oreo cookie and remove its trans fats. Kraft later attempted to reformulate many of their products and have since eliminated the trans fats from hundreds of foods. Joseph was successful in his crusade without ever setting foot inside a courtroom.

He did not stop with one success, however. Stephen Joseph then moved on to bigger and better companies. McDonald’s corporation is known for serving thousands of trans-fat full meals worldwide everyday. Joseph started his war on McDonalds and they quickly responded with a plan. They agreed to change their frying oils and serve a product with less of the damaging chemical. However, a year after the lawsuit, McDonalds had failed to produce any results. Joseph, not being one to let anything slide, sued McDonalds for inadequately publicizing their delay in reformulation. McDonald’s agreed to settle with Joseph. They spent 1.5 million dollars posting signs and notices in all of their stores informing customers of the dangers of hydrogenated oils and their failure to reformulate their frying oils. They also published ads admitting that their frying oils were dangerous and still full of trans fats. They also donated almost 8 thousand dollars to Joseph’s website, bandtransfats.com. Lastly they donated seven thousand dollars to the American Heart association. These figures were small compared to the profit generated by the corporation everyday, but they were still steps toward creating a more trans fat free nation and publishing the dangerous effects of trans fats for the American people.

These steps are small, but they are still steps. Small changes in diet can really help to improve a person’s overall wellbeing. Any contribution to the vast amounts of knowledge surrounding the affects of food additives on the human body could, in turn, help to influence American consumers. A great enough influence could lead to a shift in the way people shop and cook. They might make choices that were healthy for themselves and their families.

Most shoppers would avoid the center of the store all together, mainly focusing on the organic produce and natural meats. This shift out of the isles would force manufacturers to re-think their products. They would turn their attention away from their bank accounts and focus on the people who are using their products every day. Eventually, companies would reformulate and begin producing boxed snacks that really are healthy choices, breakfast cereals that are a good way to start the day, and meals that actually benefit those who consume them.

With the obesity epidemic not only affecting the general population, but also the children, and with cancer and heart disease skyrocketing, it is time that the American people begin making well informed decisions about what they are eating. Manufacturers should play a role in this, not by over publishing or falsely representing their products to be healthful, but by actually making them into the healthy choices that they ought to be. Food should come from natural sources, not chemicals in a lab.

Eventually, people will begin to make smarter choices. Manufacturers will also realize the effects of their products and hopefully reformulate. Until then, Americans will have to make their own decisions and choices, one bite at a time.