The Chemical Cocktail Hiding in Plain Sight
Your favorite bag of chips might contain more than just potatoes and salt. More than 10,000 chemicals, some of which are potentially toxic, are allowed in cereal, snacks, meat and many other types of food sold in the U.S. What’s even more shocking is that almost 99 percent of food chemicals introduced since 2000 were greenlighted for use by food and chemical companies rather than properly reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. It’s like letting someone grade their own exam paper. Many of these widely used chemicals are associated with major health harms, including increased risk of cancer, developmental harm and hormone disruption. The reality is that substances end up in what we eat, thanks to a legal loophole that allows food ingredients to be classified as “generally recognized as safe.” The loophole lets manufacturers – instead of the FDA – determine which food chemicals are safe to consume.
Red Dye No. 3: The Cherry-Colored Culprit
Red Dye No. 3, also known as FD&C Red No. 3, red dye 3, and erythrosine, is a food coloring used to give a bright, cherry-red color to thousands of food products now on shelves, including candies, baked goods, snacks, cereals, and sodas. This innocent-looking ingredient has a darker side than its bright appearance suggests. The FDA actually banned this chemical for use in cosmetics and externally applied drugs back in 1990 after studies linked it to thyroid tumors in rats. Yet somehow, it’s still perfectly legal to put it in your food. On April 22, 2025, FDA commissioner Marty Makary announced plans to phase out synthetic food dyes from the U.S. food supply by the end of 2026. Better late than never, but that’s still plenty of time for millions of people to keep consuming these questionable ingredients. California just banned food dyes linked to behavioral issues from being served in public school lunches and snacks.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup: The Sweet Deceiver
High-fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made from corn. It’s frequently found in soda, juice, candy, breakfast cereals and snack foods. This ubiquitous ingredient isn’t just another sugar substitute – it’s engineered to make your body crave more. High-fructose corn syrup has been linked to weight gain and diabetes. Scientists discovered something particularly disturbing when they tested this sweetener directly against regular glucose. In one study, 32 people consumed a drink sweetened with either glucose or fructose for 10 weeks. By the end of the study, the fructose-sweetened beverage caused significant increases in belly fat and blood sugar levels, plus decreased insulin sensitivity compared to the glucose-sweetened beverage. Think about that the next time you reach for that seemingly innocent granola bar or flavored yogurt. It’s also high in empty calories and contributes nothing but calories to your diet.
Brominated Vegetable Oil: The Flame Retardant in Your Drink
Here’s something that’ll make you do a double-take at the ingredient list on your favorite sports drink. Peer-reviewed studies conducted on rodents have linked brominated vegetable oil (BVO) to neurological problems; thyroid, heart and liver problems; and behavioral, developmental, and reproductive issues. BVO contains bromine, the same element used in flame retardants for furniture and electronics. It’s added to citrus-flavored beverages to keep the flavoring oils from floating to the surface, but at what cost? The European Union banned this ingredient years ago, yet it’s still showing up in American products. The California Food Safety Act, signed into law in 2023, banned the manufacture, distribution or sale of food containing the chemicals Red Dye No. 3, propyl paraben, brominated vegetable oil and potassium bromate. When a state has to step in because federal agencies won’t act, you know there’s a problem.
Potassium Bromate: The Bread “Improver” That’s Anything But
Potassium bromate has been linked to cancer. This chemical is added to bread dough as a “flour improver” to make baked goods rise higher and have a better texture. Linked to various types of cancer. How is it used? As a flour “improver,” it’s added to strengthen dough, make baked goods rise higher in the oven, and enhance products’ texture. It’s been banned in numerous countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Brazil, but American consumers are still being exposed to it in hamburger buns and other baked goods. The fact that this cancer-causing agent is still legal in our food supply while being banned elsewhere should make every consumer question what other dangerous chemicals they’re unknowingly ingesting. California has passed the Food Safety Act, the first law in the U.S. to ban harmful chemicals from foods … Foods made with ingredients that California is banning include hamburger buns (potassium bromate), orange soda (brominated vegetable oil), candy, and corn tortillas (propylparaben).
The Addictive Engineering Behind Your Cravings
Researchers find that highly processed foods rich in sugar and added fat may be as addictive as tobacco. The companies manufacturing your favorite snacks aren’t just randomly throwing ingredients together – they’re using sophisticated science to make you want more. One reason: they contain super-processed ingredients that give the brain a quick burst of fat and carbs. They also contain flavors we can’t make in our kitchens. “I don’t know how to make a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto or Vanilla Dr. Pepper,” Gearhardt says. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that big tobacco companies now own many of the brands that make the most popular snack foods. “They’re clearly targeting 8- to 14-year-olds very aggressively to try and make them lifelong users,” Gearhardt says. That’s exactly what tobacco companies used to do. It’s a deliberate strategy to hook consumers when they’re young and keep them coming back for more.
Titanium Dioxide: The Paint Ingredient in Your Food
Titanium dioxide is also used as a food coloring, in this case to make coffee creamers, baking decorations, and sauces appear whiter than they otherwise would, and in some candy and other products as a kind of “paint primer” to make other colors, added later, appear more vivid. This white pigment is the same stuff used in house paint, sunscreen, and toothpaste, yet it’s also considered safe enough to put in your food. The European Union has banned titanium dioxide in food products, citing concerns about its potential to damage DNA and cause cancer. The chemicals the bill takes aim at are butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, cetylpyridinium chloride, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium nitrate, sulfuric acid and titanium dioxide. They are added to meat, dairy and eggs as emulsifiers, colorants and preservatives and as disinfecting agents in the packaging process. American consumers are essentially being used as test subjects in a massive, uncontrolled experiment with these industrial chemicals.
The Hidden Chemical Migration from Packaging
While there may be as many as 100,000 synthetic chemicals that can migrate into foods from packaging, storage containers and processing equipment, most of these substances remain unknown, according to the review. This means every time you open a bag of chips or unwrap a granola bar, you might be getting more than you bargained for. “The more (ultra-)processed a foodstuff, the greater its burden of synthetic chemicals generally is,” the authors wrote. Exposure to even very low doses of some substances that contaminate foods, such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals including BPA and phthalates, can lead to obesity and diabetes. In a 2024 study, Rajagopalan and colleagues found a link between microplastics in the arteries and risks for heart attacks and strokes. These aren’t just theoretical concerns – they’re showing up in real health impacts that researchers are documenting in studies published this year.
BHA and BHT: The “Safe” Preservatives That Aren’t
BHA was last evaluated in 1977. It can cause hormone disruption and increase the risk of cancer. It’s been on California’s Proposition 65 list of cancer-causing chemicals since 1990. BHT was last evaluated in 1977. The chemical has been linked to a higher risk of cancer, endocrine disruption and harm to the kidneys, blood, liver and lungs. These preservatives, designed to keep your snacks fresh on the shelf, have been in use for decades without proper safety updates. Linked to cancer in studies of animals. How is it used? As a preservative to prevent foods that contain oils, fats, and shortenings from going rancid. What foods is it in? Butter, lard, meats, cereals, baked goods, sweets, beer, vegetable oils, potato chips, snack foods, nuts and nut products, sausage, poultry and meat products, chewing gum, and yeast. The fact that chemicals evaluated nearly 50 years ago are still being used in modern food production should concern anyone who values their health.
The Regulatory Black Hole Protecting Corporate Profits
An analysis published in 2022 by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, found that 98.7 percent of the roughly 766 new food chemicals introduced to the food supply since 2000 were not approved by the FDA. The system is so broken that “These food chemicals have fallen into a regulatory black hole. This legislation will ensure the USDA takes much needed action to get these harmful chemicals out of our meat and dairy,” he added. In many cases, it’s not the Food and Drug Administration that decides if chemical additives are safe to use in food. Instead, it’s the companies that make and sell the products that contain them. It’s like asking a fox to guard the henhouse. Since 2000, almost all food chemicals – 99 percent – have been approved by the chemical industry, not the Food and Drug Administration. This isn’t just a regulatory oversight – it’s a systematic failure that prioritizes corporate profits over public health.
What would you have guessed?
