A 1 and half minute long speech on "Food additives and unhealthiness"
Katie Yang
Ms. Molin
Advanced English 10C
7 May 2010
The Secret Behind Food That People Eat
The number of consumers has now risen to 200, 000, 000, subjected everyday to a bombardment of poisons in their food and drugs while lying at the mercy of “respectable corporations” (Fuller). While the chefs and sou chefs cooked their customers’ orders, they thought nothing of it. They served it to their customer and while that customer ate, one had an allergic reaction. The customer whose name was Jorma Takala suffers from hyperactivity. Therefore, additives can be dangerous and companies using them should do extreme testing before exposing it to the human population. What are additives exactly? Well, they are substances that have no proven track record of safety and that must be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) before they can be used (Growther). When the FDA approves of an additive to be used in food, it means that the company using them has done extensive lab testing. It doesn’t mean that it is considered to be a safe substance, however, it means that the company using them has done enough of their lab testing. Although representatives of the food and chemical industries professed to be fully in support of the principle that safety testing of additives should be required by law, they fervently hope that additives in use would be exempt from testing (Mooney). With this, the scientists still continue to produce certain additives that could potentially harm our people and there is no specific way to stop them. These certain additives can be both worrisome and worry-free meaning not all additives is dangerous. Some examples of harmful or worrisome additives are: “sodium/potassium benzoate that are often used in soft and fruit drinks that can form benzene (a cancer-causing substance), and sodium nitrate that with its presence in cured meat, it prevents botulism” (Antinoro). These have been linked to cancer in lab animals. The testing is only done on lab animals, but not on humans meaning they expose it to the people even after saying it does not harm us. As a result, these are harmful additives that must be avoided when can.
Finally, some worry-free additives that can be eaten or ingested are listed. These can ba anything from additives used in drinks to bread. Calcium/sodium propionate - mold inhibitors used to preserve bread, cal-sodium stearoyl lactylate - dough conditioners make bread sturdier and easier to knead, and citric acid derived from citrus fruits and one of the safest and most widely used additives (Antinoro). These additives that are being used to make work easier are great, but what if they were harmful additives? Scientists must understand that by trying to make work easier is just a way to show that they themselves do not do enough extensive researching on their newly produced additive. Most additives that are being produced are new so they have never been used by the people therefore, making them the lab animals themselves. As I have said earlier, there has been a person who himself has experienced this mess. One particular additive is a chemical. Jorma Takala was a man who had a horrible life until he stopped eating red dye #40. He went to a restaurant and ordered a submarine sandwich that had this artificial dye in it. This artificial additive is what caused him to obtain a migraine, irritability, pressure on his head, and hives like a hyper-reaction to a bee sting. Curious about this reaction to this dye, he researched it and became aware of the red dye #40 in the prepared meat (Takala). Many people don’t know that they are eating this and that this could be an effect causing people’s lives to worsen. It is strongly urged to avoid this scrupulously. In conclusion, here are facts about how many people die of these additives every year. The annual death per year has increased dramatically over the past few years. In the course of this time, many people suffered from diseases, food... SHOW MORE
Ms. Molin
Advanced English 10C
7 May 2010
The Secret Behind Food That People Eat
The number of consumers has now risen to 200, 000, 000, subjected everyday to a bombardment of poisons in their food and drugs while lying at the mercy of “respectable corporations” (Fuller). While the chefs and sou chefs cooked their customers’ orders, they thought nothing of it. They served it to their customer and while that customer ate, one had an allergic reaction. The customer whose name was Jorma Takala suffers from hyperactivity. Therefore, additives can be dangerous and companies using them should do extreme testing before exposing it to the human population. What are additives exactly? Well, they are substances that have no proven track record of safety and that must be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) before they can be used (Growther). When the FDA approves of an additive to be used in food, it means that the company using them has done extensive lab testing. It doesn’t mean that it is considered to be a safe substance, however, it means that the company using them has done enough of their lab testing. Although representatives of the food and chemical industries professed to be fully in support of the principle that safety testing of additives should be required by law, they fervently hope that additives in use would be exempt from testing (Mooney). With this, the scientists still continue to produce certain additives that could potentially harm our people and there is no specific way to stop them. These certain additives can be both worrisome and worry-free meaning not all additives is dangerous. Some examples of harmful or worrisome additives are: “sodium/potassium benzoate that are often used in soft and fruit drinks that can form benzene (a cancer-causing substance), and sodium nitrate that with its presence in cured meat, it prevents botulism” (Antinoro). These have been linked to cancer in lab animals. The testing is only done on lab animals, but not on humans meaning they expose it to the people even after saying it does not harm us. As a result, these are harmful additives that must be avoided when can.
Finally, some worry-free additives that can be eaten or ingested are listed. These can ba anything from additives used in drinks to bread. Calcium/sodium propionate - mold inhibitors used to preserve bread, cal-sodium stearoyl lactylate - dough conditioners make bread sturdier and easier to knead, and citric acid derived from citrus fruits and one of the safest and most widely used additives (Antinoro). These additives that are being used to make work easier are great, but what if they were harmful additives? Scientists must understand that by trying to make work easier is just a way to show that they themselves do not do enough extensive researching on their newly produced additive. Most additives that are being produced are new so they have never been used by the people therefore, making them the lab animals themselves. As I have said earlier, there has been a person who himself has experienced this mess. One particular additive is a chemical. Jorma Takala was a man who had a horrible life until he stopped eating red dye #40. He went to a restaurant and ordered a submarine sandwich that had this artificial dye in it. This artificial additive is what caused him to obtain a migraine, irritability, pressure on his head, and hives like a hyper-reaction to a bee sting. Curious about this reaction to this dye, he researched it and became aware of the red dye #40 in the prepared meat (Takala). Many people don’t know that they are eating this and that this could be an effect causing people’s lives to worsen. It is strongly urged to avoid this scrupulously. In conclusion, here are facts about how many people die of these additives every year. The annual death per year has increased dramatically over the past few years. In the course of this time, many people suffered from diseases, food... SHOW MORE