Potassium bromate. BHA. Titanium dioxide. Aspartame. Propylparaben. Red 40. Seed oils.
Do these substances sound like things that should be consumed by the human body? Most would disagree. But the harsh reality surrounding the American food industry is that the average American’s diet is tainted with a cocktail of unsettling, toxic chemicals. It’s a disturbing truth that the majority of Americans likely consume at least one of these substances with almost every meal.
Azodicarbonamide, a chemical compound used in most processed breads and some cereals, also happens to be used in the making of yoga mats and shoe rubber. Sodium benzoate, a chemical found in many fruit preserves and salad dressings, is also a common ingredient in cosmetic products. And, if regularly ingesting the main ingredient in a Bath & Body Works lotion wasn’t repulsive enough, sodium benzoate is also used as a corrosion inhibitor in car care products and paint.
These ingredients are found in almost every processed food, along with thousands of other chemical concoctions that are linked to cancer and obesity.
Obesity, a modern epidemic, has tripled worldwide since 1975. In the United States, the numbers are particularly alarming. As of 2024, 42.7% of Americans are obese.
In comparison, the obesity rates in Europe, Asia, and Africa are significantly lower, with 23.3% of Europeans, 6.2% of Asians, and 5.5% of Africans classified as obese.
The main reason for this: America’s dependence on processed foods.
Dr. Michele Lanpher Patel, an Instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, explained, “[Society] has access to lots more tasty foods that aren’t great for us and that are highly caloric. These are all things that, on a societal level, make it harder for everyone to have healthy nutrition.”
Processed foods have been gaining even more shelf space due to their low production costs and objectively delicious taste.
“I think processed foods in general, they’ve been constructed so that they taste really good, and they’re pretty cheap,” Patel said. “ I think some external pressure [would help reduce processed foods], because the food industry likely doesn’t have a lot of incentive to change on their own..”
While it may seem obvious that certain foods would have damaging effects on the body, the food industry has sugar-coated some of these issues with subtle packaging, promises of “low fat” products and the catch-all term “Natural Flavors.”
Processed foods are laced with a multitude of synthetic chemicals and dyes that can be hidden under these seemingly innocuous words such as “fat-free” or “all-natural.”
For instance, food-grade cellulose, an ultra-refined version of plant fiber (read: sawdust), is a bulking agent used in many products branded as “low-fat” or “nonfat” in order to manipulate the texture of certain foods without impacting the taste. While cellulose can occur naturally in many vegetables, the ultra-refined, food-grade version can have detrimental effects on a persons’ health and is also shown to cause a higher risk of chronic illness.
What exactly about the food industry needs to change?
The entire industry has a whole must work to become more open and honest with consumers, instead of hiding behind friendly-feeling labels that end up being even more detrimental than one would think. If America wants to be healthier on a societal level, the food industry needs to undergo a nation-wide change. While individuals do play a part in choosing what goes into their diets, the amount of processed foods shoved in consumers’ faces day after day needs to be drastically reduced. It is imperative that the food industry prioritizes people over profits, or America risks condemning future generations to a lifetime of preventable diseases and suffering.
