Pop-Tarts from Kellogg’s, the second largest U.S. cereal breakfast maker, are displayed on the shelves of the Metropolitan Citymarket on February 19, 2014 in New York City.(Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
According to a March 24 report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a U.S. environmental review group, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health According to a study published March 24 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, two compounds, tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and perfluorinated/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have been found in more than 1,200 food products sold in the United States.
TBHQ is a preservative that can be found in many well-known brand-name foods, including Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats and Cheez-Its from Kellogg’s, the second largest cereal breakfast manufacturer in the U.S. PFAS is commonly used to make non-stick liners in food packaging, such as aluminum cans, pizza boxes and popcorn bags and may leach into the food inside the package.
The EWG researchers based their assessment on data compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Forecaster. The data show that TBHQ, which has been used for decades to extend the shelf life of processed foods, may damage the immune system, according to animal and in vitro (non-animal) tests.
Dr. Olga Naidenko, EWG vice president for scientific investigation, said in a statement that poor diet may have contributed to the severity of the CCA virus outbreak.
Previous studies have shown that TBHQ may reduce the efficacy of flu vaccines and may also promote food allergies. This may help explain why the incidence of food allergies increased by about 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Previous studies have also shown that PFAS suppresses immune function. A report published last December in Public Library of Science: General (PLOS ONE) showed that people with high levels of PFAS in their blood have increased severity of CCA virus infections. the same results were found in a similar study in 2013, which determined that children exposed to high levels of PFAS in utero produced fewer antibodies after pediatric vaccination.
“Food manufacturers have no incentive to change their formulations,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at EWG, “Many times, the FDA allows the food and chemical industries to decide which ingredients are safe for consumption. But our research shows how important it is for the FDA to revisit these ingredients and test the safety of all food chemicals.”
For now, the findings are not enough for the FDA to enact stricter restrictions, and the FDA continues to allow companies to make their own decisions about whether the additives and preservatives used in their production are safe for long-term human health.
The study authors call for further research to learn more about how these chemicals act on the human immune system.
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