The cancer-causing chemical azodicarbonamide (used in yoga mats) is found in nearly 500 grocery store items
Azodicarbonamide considered as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by FDA is commonly used as bleaching agent in baking white bread, cakes and pastries. Azodicarbonamide improves the flour’s strength and elasticity and helps to keep the bread soft and fresh, even after many days.
Azodicarbonamide is also used in making yoga mats and as a foaming agent in plastic and rubber industry. The chemical Azodicarbonamide recently made the headlines after an online campaign encouraged Subway to remove the chemical from its bread.
After the campaign, Subway released a statement saying that "Even though this ingredient is safe, we are removing it from Subway bread. This process began last year and is nearly completed -- we have already developed an improved bread formula, conducted extensive performance and consumer testing on it, and pending final government approvals we should complete the entire conversion process within the coming weeks."
Subway bread isn’t the only food made with the ‘yoga mat’ chemical. There are nearly 500 foods and grocery items and more than 130 brands of bread, bread stuffing and snacks, advertised as ‘Healthy’ that are made with Azodicarbonamide:
According to Environmental Working Group researchers, Azodicarbonamide is used as an ingredient inside many famous brands of snacks, sandwiches, croutons, breads, and even meat and buns of fast food restaurants including McDonald’s McRib’s.
Here are some of the brands that that have listed Azodicarbonamide in their ingredients:
- Ball Park, Baker's Treat, Butternut, Bunny (Hot Dog buns)
- Castillo, Cloverhill, Connella, Country Hearth
- Earthgrains, Essential Everyday, European Bakers
- Farm Rich, Fleischman’s Food Club
- Harvest Pride, Healthy Life
- J. Skinner, J.C. Potter, Jimmy Dean, Joseph Campione
- Key Food, Kid Cuisine, Kroger
- Lewis, Liberty Hearth, Little Debbie
- Mariano’s, Marie Callendar’s, Martin’s, Mother’s, McDonalds (breads, bagels, and McRib’s)
- Palagonia, Patriotic, Pillsbury, Potmann's Select
- Rainbo, Roman Meal Roundy's, Rosen's
- Sara Lee, Schmidt, Shoprite, Safeway, Smucker’s, Sunbeam, Starbucks (your favorite butter croissant)
- Turano, Tuscan Garden, Tyson,
- Vachon, Valu Time, Van De Kamp's, Village Hearth
- Weight Watchers Smart Ones, White Castle, Wonder
Click here to find out the full list: http://www.ewg.org/research/nearly-500-ways-make-yoga-mat-sandwich#brandtable
Azodicarbonamide is banned by European Union, UK, and Australia. Even some countries like Singapore have severe penalties (15 years in jail and $450,000 fine) for using azodicarbonamide:
While many advanced countries have banned toxic chemicals like Azodicarbonamide, food companies in US continue to use this toxic chemical in products that are even branded as ‘Natural’ or ‘Healthy’.
Disturbingly, Azodicarbonamide is not the only disgusting ingredient used in processed or packaged foods. There are tons of other chemicals and harsh additives in processed foods and even baby foods like infant formulas.
Amazingly, CDC found a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel called “perchlorat” in nearly 15 brands of infant formula including Similac and Enfamil. Other contaminates that exist in infant formulas are dioxin, genetically modified organisms, BPA (hormone-disruptive chemicals that can cause neurological problems, cancer, obesity, hyperactivity, stress and diabetes), melamine (causing kidney failure), AGE (advanced glycoprotein end products) and high fructose corn syrup.
While millions of Americans are being poisoned on purpose by the food industry, the US regulatory agencies including FDA and USDA call toxic ingredients like Azodicarbonamide GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe):
The list of toxic additives, foods and preservatives goes on and on, while FDA and USDA ignore the fact that these toxic chemicals and foods are deadly carcinogens that damage every single organ in the body. In fact, as toxic as Azodicarbonamide is for your health, this chemical on its own isn’t half bad as tons of other harsh chemicals used in thousands of consumer products:
-Here are the lists of top 17 cancer-causing additives and ingredients: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/cancer-junk-food-carcinogen.php
- Azodicarbonamide is only one of the top 10 toxic additives and preservatives banned by many countries, except US: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/foods-banned-in-other-countries-but-we-eat-in-us.php
-Here are the lists of toxic additives and preservatives used in foods and soft drinks: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/top-10-toxic-foods-preservatives-additives/
- Consumer reports finds alarming level of arsenic in 60 different rice and rice products, including cereals: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/arsenic-found-in-rice-chickens-cereals-FDA.php
- Another study by Consumer reports shows that 15 different protein powders have at least one of the heavy metals including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/protein-powder-toxins-heavy-metals.php
- Even children’s top selling multivitamin known as ‘Flintstones’ is filled with toxic chemicals and heavy metals: http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/flintstones-top-us-brand-childrens-multivitamin-filled-with-aspartame-gmos-chemicals.php
- Here is the list of cancer-causing chemicals in medications and prescription drugs: http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/list-of-chemicals-medications-prescription-drugs-that-cause-cancer.php
- There are tons of other hash chemicals used in cosmetics, skincare and Beauty products. Here is the list of dirty dozen toxic chemicals in cosmetics and skincare products: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/dirty-dozen-toxic-chemicals-in-cosmetics-skincare-and-consumer-products.php
-Even our drinking water and lakes are being poisoned by alarming level of chemicals and prescription drugs: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/alarming-traces-of-prescription-drugs-chemicals-contaminants-in-lakes-fish-drinking-water.php
What should consumers do?
Drink lots of pure water or spring water to flush toxins out of your body and have fresh raw vegetable juices to replace the minerals that you lose by drinking lots of water. Sleep at least 8-9 hours per day to strengthen your body’s immune system. Exercise to relax your body and mind. Read the products' labels carefully and eat less processed foods and more organic fresh vegetables and fruits. Keep in mind that the less TV that you watch, the less you will be exposed to food advertising, and the less processed food you will eat. And finally, be mindful of what you eat or put on your skin. All it takes, it’s 26 seconds for toxic chemicals to be absorbed through your skin. All of this will not start from day one for everybody but you can do all of these step by step and this way you could keep your body healthy and yourself out of hospital.
Sources:
http://www.ewg.org/research/nearly-500-ways-make-yoga-mat-sandwich
