As a result of the "pink slime" controversy, Americans are beginning to pay more attention to the chemicals that make their way into the food supply. And as experts have noted, people are not going to like what they find.
According to The New York Times, one way chemicals get added to foods is through the food that animals consume. In fact, recent studies show that poultry bred on factory farms are regularly fed caffeine, banned antibiotics, and even arsenic. Apparently, arsenic reduces the risk of infections in animals and makes chicken flesh a more appetizing shade of pink. For these reasons, it has routinely been fed to poultry. While there's no evidence that low levels of arsenic are harmful to the people who ultimately consume the chicken meat, it's disturbing to know that traces of arsenic were found at all.
So how did scientists find out that poultry have been ingesting chemicals? Since agriculture companies don't exactly make public the illegal chemicals that they're feeding their birds, scientists at Arizona State University and Johns Hopkins University had to get creative. To detect the chemicals, scientists conducting the studies examined bird feathers. Similar to human fingernails, bird feathers also acquire chemicals when animals consume or are exposed to them.
Ultimately, two separate studies on the subject, one published in the Environments Science & Technology and the other published in Science of the Total Environment, found chemicals and antibiotics had been fed to chickens. In addition to arsenic being found in every tested feather sample, a banned class of antiobioics that is illegal because of its potential to create human-harming "superbugs" was also discovered. Traces of Benadryl, Tylenol, and caffeine were also found — they are used to calm chickens and keeping them awake so they will eat more.
Experts are concerned by the lack of knowledge about what chickens are being fed. Some poultry farmers aren't even aware of what their chickens are truly eating, because large food companies send all of their poultry farmers the same required food mix to feed to their animals. While the studies conducted on chickens' chemical consumption cannot definitively determine how much of the chemicals are ending up on our dinner tables, the scientists behind the studies were disturbed enough by their findings to start buying organic.
Arsenic in chicken is just the beginning. According to Reuters, after the pink slime uproar, people are beginning to take a closer look at the role ammonia plays in food production. As it turns out, "pink slime" is not the only place that ammonia makes an appearance in America's food supply. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to track the use of ammonium hydroxide in foods, because in 1974, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted ammonium hydroxide "Generally Recognized as Safe" status. Use of ammonium hydroxide is also considered "good manufacturing practice" when making foods such as soft drinks and canned vegetables. Because ammonium hydroxide is used as a "processing aid," it is not required to be included on the ingredients label.
One place that ammonium hydroxide is found is in certain cheeses. Angela Wiggins, spokeperson for Kraft foods, explained that certain brands use ammonium hydroxide during the process of turning milk into cheese. The chemical is added "to reduce the culture's acidity and encourage cheese cultures to grow." Kraft products such as Chips Ahoy and Velveeta cheese use small amounts of ammonium compounds.
The uses of other ammonium-based compounds are easier to spot. For example, ammonia compounds can often be found in chocolate products, and ammonium phosphate is used as a leavening agent in baking. However, when ammonium phosphate is used in baking, the heat from the oven causes the gas to evaporate, so no ammonia is ultimately left in the product.
Reuters reported that a simple trip to the grocery store revealed several products that were produced with ammonium compounds. For example, ammonium chloride was present in Wonder Bread and Chef Boyardee Mini Ravioli, both manufactured by ConAgra Foods. Ammonium phosphate is a listed ingredient on Chips Ahoy cookies.
Many large-scale companies, such as Sara Lee Corporation and ConAgra, note that they do not use ammonium hydroxide in their food products.
What do you think about the increasing knowledge of chemicals in America's food supply? Do you think new information will help stop the use of chemicals in the future?