By the chocolate machines I found Autumn Hardacre, who had just bought a chocolate bar. She explained that she had never read the ingredients and I translated a few, which included yellow dye tartrazine which is a coal tar derivative, blue dye triphenylmethane which is a petrol based product and red dye carminic acid which is derived from the carcasses of the cotcheniel beetle.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that 1 in 3 children born in 2000 would become diabetic, and more recently a study on rising risk confirmed this as a long-term trend. The rate of diabetes in this country has gone up by 80% in the last 10 years, and there is increasing evidence that this is due largely to our food supply, and while companies like McDonald's, are scrutinized in the media, little attention has been brought to the snack industry. But what I found to be more disturbing than this, was the fact that nobody particularly cares.
While shocked, this did not in any way make her think twice about eating it, and she said this would not put her off buying them in the future. All of these ingredients are potentially harmful, especially another ingredient found in the majority of chocolate bars. Partially hydrogenated vegetable or animal shortening, is made from the boiled bones tendons and skin of pigs. The hydrogenation makes it like a plastic that the body can never deal with, which suppresses immune functioning and contributes to the development of chronic illness. It's also worth knowing that the common ingredient used to bleach flour which is chloride oxide has been linked to the destruction of the pancreas, and a form of type 2 diabetes.
As for the fast food industry, I looked into the ingredients of a typical McDonalds meal, and while yes, a large fries can contain as much as a shot glass of fat, at least we know what's in them. The burgers are fatty but at least they're beef. What's more, they only use non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (and are quick to point this out), and only two items on the menu (both sauces) contained High Fructose Corn Syrup.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) does not metabolize as a normal sugar in the body, and has the same effect on the liver as alcohol addiction. It also prevents a chemical called leptin from reaching the brain. Leptin is the hormone that tells you when you are full and you should stop eating, so when you eat anything with HFCS in it, you don't know they are full, and so continue eating more and more.
Of course, these products cannot totally be blamed for the decline in our health, after all, just because when I eat a chocolate bar I don't know when I'm getting full, doesn't mean I'm not aware that if I eat a box of it it's going to have some negative repercussions. But 1 in 3 children born in 2000 will get Diabetes. These products cater specifically to children.
But to me, stood by the chocolate machine, reeling off words that changed their pronunciation with every attempt, it seemed no-one cared. No-one stopped eating their chocolate bars, and when asked, no-one said they would not buy in the future, which is scary enough. But the worst part is, neither did I. I've known all information for months prior to writing this, and yes I buy less chocolate, but I haven't stopped.
So why don't we care? Well it's worth noting that trying to stay away from some of these ingredients is very difficult. Red Dye Carminic Acid is found in the majority of products dyed red, including food coloring, ketchup, and clothing. A synthetic alternative is now available but RDCA has not yet been banned, although this is being considered and will be decided in late 2008. High Fructose Corn Syrup is found in the majority of snacks, juice drinks, cereals and even health bars.
So perhaps it is the difficulty involved in keeping away from these products. But I'm not convinced. I don't think the people I talked to by the vending machine had time between me asking the question, and them answering, to ponder the difficulties, or research what products contain these ingredients. It was a simple no. It just doesn't bother anyone. Do we not have enough respect for ourselves to care what's being put in our bodies?
Of course continuing to do things which are hazardous is nothing new, people continue to drink, and smoke. But if HFCS can really have the same effect on your liver as alcohol addiction, shouldn't it be being regulated in some way? At least cigarettes say they might kill you on the packet. Nevertheless, people will continue to eat these harmful products, and ashamedly, so will I.
