The FDA currently only requires food and drug companies to label ingredients as containing an Allergen if it contains the protein. This allows things like soybean oil, lecithin and ingredients derived from soy to be included in the ingredients without disclosing. As the mother of a child with severe allergies and intolerances, this makes it EXTREMELY hard to discern what is safe for my child. Things like glycerin, Citric acid, tocopherals, natural flavor, thiamine mononitrates, rosemary extract and so many more may be what I see but we have had to learn the hard way that these could actually mean soy. This is deceptive and wrong! Please help.
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agreed! I learned years ago after developing so many allergies that glycerin can be derived from many sources including toxic soy and canola oils. And that citric acid is a black mold that causes cancer yet its in everything… I feel that not only should there be transparency in labels but soy and citric acid should be removed from foods and products completely. Soy particularly is an endocrine disruptor.
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I’m on board with this. I think the problem is much bigger than just soy. Its allowing natural flavors to mean literally anything and they don’t have to specify. Its allowing the “round down” which means that if a product contains 0.49grams of a chemical per serving they can round down and it becomes zero and they don’t have to list it. Labels should list everything including anything allergic, and contain a warning for potentially harmful ingredients (Carrageenan, Red dyes, seed oil, etc). I think a total reform policy on the label that gathers all of these complaints would be the way to go.
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Agreed. Also, no labels such as natural flavor or artificial flavor to mask what is put in the food. It must be specified.
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I so agree. I have food allergies and intolerance to many foods. Just worked out that I may have to go full “cave man” and only eat natural foods. Just as well I started growing veggies at home on retirement. In Australia we have fairly decent labelling laws so you get to see a lot of hidden ingredients. However things like “emulsifier” and “food acid” etc are too vague so things are not perfect.
One of the problems is that public health organizations like the FDA look after the many and do not care for the few. Just look at COVID and how the good of the many swamped the well being of the few. That’s why you need a good firewall between medicine (doctors) and regulators (FDA). Heaven help you if the doctors come under the power of the regulators because no one else will.
Cheers,
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