New York Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to ban a chemical used in bread.
Schumer launched a campaign against the chemical Sunday, following an announcement last week by the Subway chain that it was voluntarily removing it from its bread. Subway’s move came after a food blogger launched a petition against the chemical, which has been linked to asthma.
Schumer said the chemical azodicarbonamide is banned for use in food in many countries and is used primarily to make rubbery products such as yoga mats and shoe rubber. He said many fast-food chains use it to condition their bread dough.
Schumer said when the chemical is heated during bread-baking, it forms trace amounts of semicarbazide, a known carcinogen which can cause tumors in humans.
(AP)
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Many so-called healthy fast food menu items, upon closer inspection, do not live up to the health hype. Most of the meat from any of the major chains has anything but a simple ingredients list.They add emulsifiers, preservatives, MSG, artificial colors, trans fats, and hidden ingredients under generic labels such as spices, or natural and artificial flavors.
Some of these food additives are not foods at all, but are chemicals that are generally recognized as safe. Most of these additives cannot be found at your local grocery store, probably because they aren’t food. But some can be found at your local hardware store, though in inedible products like low tox antifreeze, silicone caulk, soap, sunscreen, and play sand.