13 Banned Food Ingredients Still Allowed In The U.S.A.
Ingredients: Coloring agents (blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6)
Found In: Cakes, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food,
and cheese
Health Hazards: “Today most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is also
used to seal-coat products to preserve and protect the shine of industrial floors,”
Carlton says. “It also appears in head lice shampoos to kill off the small bugs.”
Ingredient: Olestra (a.k.a. Olean)
Found In: Fat-free potato chips
Health Hazards: “This fat substitute appears to cause a dramatic depletion of fatsoluble
vitamins and carotenoids, robbing us of the vital micro-nutrients... plus
embarrassing bathroom side effects (including oily anal leakage!)” Many
countries, including the U.K. and Canada, have banned it.
Ingredient: Brominated vegetable oil (a.k.a. BVO)
Found In: Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas
Health Hazards: BVO’s main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous chemical that is
considered both corrosive and toxic. It’s been linked to major organ system
damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss, which
explains why it’s been banned in more than 100 countries.
Ingredient: Potassium bromate (a.k.a. brominated flour)
Found In: Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips
Health Hazards: Made with the same toxic chemical found in BVO (bromine), this
additive has been associated with kidney and nervous system disorders as well as
gastrointestinal discomfort. “While the FDA has not banned the use of bromated
flour, they do urge bakers to voluntarily leave it out,” Calton says.
Ingredient: Azodicarbonamide
Found In: Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods
Health Hazards: In Singapore you can get up to 15 years in prison and be penalized
nearly half a million dollars in fines for using this chemical that’s been linked to
asthma and is primarily used in foamed plastics, like yoga mats and sneaker soles.
Ingredients: BHA and BHT
Found In: Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer
Health Hazards: Made from petroleum. California is the only state that recognizes
the U.S. National Institute of Health’s report that BHA may be a human
carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent.
Ingredients: Synthetic hormones (rBGH and rBST)
Found In: Milk and dairy products
Health Hazards: “The milk is supercharged with IGF-1 (insulin growth factor -1),
which has been linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers.”
Ingredient: Arsenic
Found In: Poultry
Health Hazards: The European Union has outlawed the use of arsenic since 1999,
Calton says, and the Environmental Protection Agency classifies inorganic arsenic
as a “human carcinogen.” Take matters into your own hands by sticking to organic
birds only.
Ingredients: Coloring agents (blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6)
Found In: Cakes, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food,
and cheese
Health Hazards: “Today most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is also
used to seal-coat products to preserve and protect the shine of industrial floors,”
Carlton says. “It also appears in head lice shampoos to kill off the small bugs.”
Ingredient: Olestra (a.k.a. Olean)
Found In: Fat-free potato chips
Health Hazards: “This fat substitute appears to cause a dramatic depletion of fatsoluble
vitamins and carotenoids, robbing us of the vital micro-nutrients... plus
embarrassing bathroom side effects (including oily anal leakage!)” Many
countries, including the U.K. and Canada, have banned it.
Ingredient: Brominated vegetable oil (a.k.a. BVO)
Found In: Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas
Health Hazards: BVO’s main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous chemical that is
considered both corrosive and toxic. It’s been linked to major organ system
damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss, which
explains why it’s been banned in more than 100 countries.
Ingredient: Potassium bromate (a.k.a. brominated flour)
Found In: Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips
Health Hazards: Made with the same toxic chemical found in BVO (bromine), this
additive has been associated with kidney and nervous system disorders as well as
gastrointestinal discomfort. “While the FDA has not banned the use of bromated
flour, they do urge bakers to voluntarily leave it out,” Calton says.
Ingredient: Azodicarbonamide
Found In: Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods
Health Hazards: In Singapore you can get up to 15 years in prison and be penalized
nearly half a million dollars in fines for using this chemical that’s been linked to
asthma and is primarily used in foamed plastics, like yoga mats and sneaker soles.
Ingredients: BHA and BHT
Found In: Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer
Health Hazards: Made from petroleum. California is the only state that recognizes
the U.S. National Institute of Health’s report that BHA may be a human
carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent.
Ingredients: Synthetic hormones (rBGH and rBST)
Found In: Milk and dairy products
Health Hazards: “The milk is supercharged with IGF-1 (insulin growth factor -1),
which has been linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers.”
Ingredient: Arsenic
Found In: Poultry
Health Hazards: The European Union has outlawed the use of arsenic since 1999,
Calton says, and the Environmental Protection Agency classifies inorganic arsenic
as a “human carcinogen.” Take matters into your own hands by sticking to organic
birds only.