FDA Bans 7 Commonly Used Artificial Flavors

After several environmental and health advocacy groups sent multiple research documents and data to the FDA showing that 7 chemicals currently being used in our food supply labeled as “Artificial Flavoring” showed to cause cancer in lab animals, the FDA decided to ban the chemicals. The chemicals have been removed from the approved additives list.

The 7 Chemicals removed are:

• • Benzophenone

• • Ethyl Acrylate

• • Eugenyl Methyl Ether (Methyl Eugenol)

• • Myrcene

• • Pulegone

• • Pyidine

• • Styrene (Added to FDA’s list but already abandoned but most in the industry)

The majority of these harmful chemicals are used in the production of products flavored with mint, cinnamon & citrus. Click To Tweet

What Does The FDA Have To Say?

In what feels like an attempt to downplay the seriousness of having carcinogens in your food supply, the FDA released a statement saying “…the FDA’s rigorous scientific analysis has determined that they do not pose a risk to public health under the conditions of their intended use. The synthetic flavoring substances that are the subject of this petition are typically used in foods available in the U.S. marketplace in very small amounts and their use results in very low levels of exposures and low risk.”

What Does This Mean For Us?

This does not mean that any food products that have already been made using these 7 banned chemicals will have to be taken off the shelf. The FDA is giving companies 2 years to become compliant and to find a suitable replacement. YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT 2 YEARS!! This will give the artificial flavor companies enough time to make new chemicals, which could potentially have the same issues later down the road. Most foods are not purchased by the consumers for 6 – 18 months after being made (hard candies and gums even longer) so these cancer causing chemicals will continue to be on the shelf at your local stores for the next 3-4 years! So, how do you avoid them? This is where it gets tricky; see you won’t be able to just flip the package over and look for these 7 ingredients individually because they are all lumped into the “Artificial Flavorings” category with thousands of other chemicals which could also be potentially harmful.  I know what you are thinking, “So do I just avoid everything with artificial flavoring for the next 5 years?” Ideally YES, as you probably shouldn’t consume them any way as they have also been linked to causing headaches and other symptoms, but that’s a different conversation for another post.

Where Are These Chemicals Commonly Found?

The majority of these harmful chemicals are used in the production of mint, cinnamon and citrus flavored products.  For example, Benzophenone is commonly found in breakfast cereals, baked goods and frozen dairy products, and Pulegone is primarily used in peppermint and spearmint flavored chewing gums. However, they can be found in any frozen dairy products, baked goods, and candy especially chewing gums that are flavored with mint, cinnamon and citrus flavored. A good rule of thumb is to avoid any of these flavored products that have “Artificial Flavoring” in the ingredient list.

I hope you found this article informative. If you have any specific topics you would like me to cover, please do not hesitate to reach out and Ask Dr. Doug!

References:

1. https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm622475.htm
2. https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20181005/fda-bans-seven-artificial-food-flavorings
3. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/10/06/655135633/fda-bans-use-of-7-synthetic-food-additives-after-environmental-groups-sue
4. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9648-headaches-and-food
5. https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-triggers-artificial-sweetener/