What’s the deal with Chromium 6?

Chromium 6 was highlighted as a carcinogenic compound found in most of America’s tap water in the 90’s by Erin Brockovich, an activist and consumer advocate who inspired a film by the same name in 2000. The film and her work highlighted a major gap in the drinking water contaminant standards for Hinkley, a southern California town. She went on to win one of the largest settlements ever claimed in a direct-action lawsuit at that time, a whopping $333 million, and leveraged that platform to shine the light on this national blindspot. With all of this press and later an Oscar winning film you’d think that this issue would have been resolved more than two decades later. Unfortunately, despite the wealth of research that has established Chromium 6 as a carcinogen, the EPA has dragged its feet on setting a Chromium 6 specific standard. They have a “total chromium” standard which includes chromium 3 but the safety levels for these two versions of chromium are wildly different. 

Chromium 3, for reference, is an element necessary for healthy functioning and most individuals get a suitable amount in their diet without needing to supplement. It is thought to be effective in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates and lipids and promoting insulin action. It is considered an essential nutrient and is found in fruits, veggies and whole grains. A lack may even be linked to glucose intolerance and diabetes. Bottom line, Chromium 3 is good for you in the amounts you receive within a balanced diet. 

In contrast, Chromium 6 is an industrial by-product that is known to cause a variety of cancers, ulcers, convulsions, and sometimes death. Why then would the EPA insist on lumping both types of chromium together when setting national standards for our drinking water? Why, indeed. By doing this, the EPA is essentially raising the standard for our drinking water from a research based standard held by some forward thinking communities of 0.02ppb to 100ppb. They are allowing companies and counties to serve up water polluted with a known carcinogen at 500 times the research grounded standard for safety. It’s easy to understand that having to regulate the thousands of companies and counties that are currently out of compliance with the safer standard is a big job but it’s also important to understand that doing so is precisely the EPA’s responsibility and the point of having such an organization at the federal level in the first place. Last year, federal legislation was passed(INVEST), including an amendment requiring the EPA to set a Chromium 6 specific standard. Only time will tell whether or not the EPA will follow through on an actionable and responsible standard closer to the research based safe levels we need.

As always, we want to address what we, the consumers, should do about this gap in our march towards clean water. Like with PFAS, it isn’t enough to simply find the best filter for your home and move on. Clean water is a resource that should be available to all. Additionally, we are all (hopefully) eating vegetation that is being grown with water that is likely at an even higher level of contamination. No matter what you do for your own home, this is something that we should all be pushing for and supporting accountability for in our own communities, towns and ultimately national government. The EPA may establish a standard in the next two years but it is incredibly important that we are all paying attention to whether or not it is a legitimately safe one.

Resources: 

EPA Fact Sheet

EWG’s Tap Water Database

Chromium 3 Fact Sheet

CoqQ10: Sidestep the Scam

CoQ10 is a pretty popular supplement added to everything from energy drinks to “brain boosting” pills but is there really any proven benefit to orally taking this supplement? 

Short answer: Maybe, at best. So far the evidence seems to suggest that usually the average person produces enough CoQ10 to gain all the benefits it yields. Taking it orally is not shown to guarantee any sort of advantage but let’s back up. What is CoQ10? 

CoQ10 is a fat-soluble compound that is made in the body as well as obtained from a balanced diet. It is credited with facilitating the production of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. It’s also helpful in the creation of other necessary compounds from ATP or mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Additionally it’s an antioxidant so, overall, great stuff. Taking CoQ10 orally seems to show the most benefit when the issue it is addressing is directly connected to a genetic mutation limiting the production of CoQ10. This makes sense as the body would be producing an abnormally low amount of CoQ10 so the supplemental CoQ10 would help bridge that gap, if imperfectly. 

CoQ10 is popping in a ton of products but perhaps most commonly in exercise-related products however, the research doesn’t suggest that there is a measurable increase in energy or mental clarity from consuming CoQ10. In fact, the research doesn’t tie CoQ10 to a measurable benefit in the treatment of most chronic health issues such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, etc. 

There is some evidence that it might be helpful in mitigating the harm that treatment for some forms of cancers causes, specifically chemo. Additionally, it may increase the success of traditional congestive heart failure treatment for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.  In fact, in one study, supplemental CoQ10 seemed to reduce the mortality rate of bypass patients when compared with a control group. Even so, more research is needed to really say conclusively that CoQ10 alone caused this reduction. 

At best, if a person has low levels of CoQ10, it might suggest that there is a deeper health issue at play. Low levels of naturally occurring CoQ10 may be an early warning sign for a number of other issues but according to the current research there are only a few select situations in which taking CoQ10 supplementally might actually be beneficial. The bottom line is that the increasingly popular inclusion of this compound in energy drinks has not been conclusively proven valuable. As always, this article is for informational purposes only, not prescription or diagnostic use and you should always talk to a health professional about your specific medical background before taking any supplemental ingredients like CoQ10. For the average person, we hope this might help you sidestep some of the more pervasive scams surrounding CoQ10 and be better equipped to make a decision for yourself about its usefulness!

Resources: 

• In Depth Article Summary of CoQ10 Studies

• https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/coenzyme-q10

• https://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-coenzymeq10-coq10#1 

Food Recall: What Actually Happens?

We’ve touched on the FDA’s role in our food safety system but what actually happens when there is a food threat and a food recall? What do we need to do as the consumer and what basics should we know? 

A food recall is usually caused by one of three things. First, food is recalled when there is a physical contaminate like say Jeff accidentally fell into one of the canned soup machines and though we fished him out, his jacket and left shoes have been cooked down into several thousand cans of spaghettiOs.  Second, food might be recalled due to a pathogen like E. Coli. or Salmonella. The third common reason for recalls is mislabeling. For example, if a product goes out without noting that it contains Yellow 5 or some other allergen that requires listing. This last one can be particularly dangerous if, say, something with trace amounts of peanuts goes out unlabeled and someone with a serious allergy eats it believing it to be safe. 

How is something like this caught? Usually, the manufacturing company is checking inhouse and will be the first to notice that something is off. For example, say Jeff was working alone when he fell in and didn’t tell anyone about his mishap. However, Susan was inspecting the cans of soup from that run later and found teeny, tiny pieces of rubber in several cans. Susan or her superiors would call a halt and they’d be the ones to contact the FDA or FSIS and together they’d work to reclaim as many cans of the contaminated soup as they could. They’d also trace the soup back to its source (probably fire Jeff, sorry Jeff) and tag that whole batch of soup. 

Sometimes, the FDA or FSIS is the first to know about a contaminant through their own investigations. In that case, they would encourage the manufacturing company to do a recall voluntarily and put legal pressure on them to force a recall if they refused. Additionally, we as consumers can report an illness or contamination issue to our local health department or the FDA directly and start the process that way. 

Once food recall is deemed necessary, it is categorized into one of three classes. Class 1 includes the most dangerous types of food hazards that are pretty likely to cause health issues or even death. Class 2 has the potential for harm but it’s probability of that harm occurring is pretty remote. Class 3 is unlikely to cause harm even if the food is consumed. 

Over the last decade we’ve seen the number of food recalls go up dramatically. This increase is due in part to the improvements we’ve made in technology over that time period. In other words, we are better equipped to catch and deal with a food recall so the increase in frequency isn’t all bad. Better to know, right? 

As a consumer, when you find out about a food recall here’s what you do:

• Do not eat the food! Even if you feel like you’ll be fine and the food looks ok, why risk it?

• Don’t open the food! Especially if it is a pathogen contamination. You risk contaminating your kitchen and home with the same pathogen. Remember, this is a microorganism and can and will spread given the opportunity. 

• Don’t feed it to the neighbors (even if you don’t like them) or your dog. Again, pathogens can affect more than humans and your cat or dog may have some serious reactions to the contaminant as well. At the very least, they might develop diarrhea and no one wants to deal with that kind of mess. 

• Don’t freak out but be mindful of how you feel if you’ve already eaten the recalled product. Contact your doctor if you start to feel nauseous or develop any new signs of sickness.  

• Do follow the recommendations listed with the recall as they will vary based on the specific kind of recall you are experiencing. This might include returning the unopened product to the store where you bought it. Often, you will be refunded the cost of the item. 

• Do sanitize your space particularly if the food in question was a meat or animal by-product. 

Is E. Coli on the Rise? Take Note.

Escherichia coli or E. Coli for short, the sickness causing specter that creeps on your raw cookie dough parade. The dark cloud of consequences built in to incorrectly preparing food. E. coli. is a well known bacteria group that can cause serious gastrointestinal illnesses if they end up in the wrong part of the body. E. Coli do serve a purpose within the human body, as well as the bodies of some animals. They contribute to the body of bacteria that maintains our intestinal health. However, the issue arises when something that should remain in one's bowls or be exerted from the body entirely somehow makes its way into the early stages of digestion. 

One of the ways in which E. Coli. enters the body is through contaminated food. In the case of meat, either the animal itself was contaminated or it was exposed to the bacteria during processing. The animal could also have eaten contaminated food creating a chain of contamination from its feed to our tables. In the case of, say, cookie dough, it is often the flour that is contaminated and this is a big reason why if you have a cookie dough addiction, you should always heat treat your flour before making it. You should also leave out the eggs if you know a batch of dough is going to see the inside of your stomach before the inside of an oven. 

The E. coli. Family includes some of the deadliest bacteria we can ingest. Some produce a toxin called Shiga which can cause anything from stomach cramps and diarrhea to death. You might also experience fever, general nausea, vomiting and basically all the symptoms we generally associate with food poisoning. Some people may not realize that depending on the strain, you can begin to show symptoms as long as 9 days after a contamination. If you begin to have symptoms that resemble E.Coli poisoning, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. Not only is it the best way to protect yourself but if there is a wider spread of contamination, you might save others who are more vulnerable than yourself. Bacterial infections are most dangerous for the elderly and very young, so it’s important to take special care when preparing food for either. 

To reduce the risk of contamination at home, it is important to cook your food thoroughly and to wash your hands really well before preparing anything but especially raw food. As E. coli lives in the gut so not washing your hands well after using the bathroom can lead to your own personal outbreak of contamination. Also, make sure you clean up preparation areas after cooking raw foods, especially meat. If you suspect contamination, it is a good idea to take steps to sanitize anything that may have come into contact with the contaminated food. 

Just this week, we’ve had multistate contamination of ground beef (Check In the News for more information). It’s a good idea to follow https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls to keep abreast of food recalls and press releases concerning domestic outbreaks of E. coli and other contaminants!

Resources: 

USDA Food Recalls

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16638-e-coli-infection

FDA Page including information of sanitization

Mayo clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/symptoms-causes/syc-20372058 

Cookie Dough E. Coli 

The 3 R's and Ultimate Why

It’s the start of a brand new year and many of us are determined to make the very best of it after the past few years we’ve had. Resolutions are often seen as the best way to make a fresh start and a new beginning. They are also notorious for failing a few months or even a few weeks in. Why is this and why is it essential to understand when those resolutions are often around making better choices for our health? How do you turn a resolution into a real, lasting habit? 

First, it’s important to realize that failure is a normal part of the learning process. You are changing your behavior and doing something new. It is ok to have some slipups. We don’t usually expect to learn a new skill without some mistakes along the way. Changing a pattern of behavior is very similar. The key is to not give up on your new change after the first setback. Whether it’s walking an extra mile each day or getting more fruits and veggies into your diet, a new year's resolution needs to be supported by other structural characteristics in your life. A helpful rule of thumb is the Rule of Three R’s.  Your resolution needs to be reasonable, repeatable and reinforced by your other life choices. 

For example, if you want to eat more veggies but you don’t know any recipes you enjoy with vegetables, you might have a hard time incorporating this habit into your life without any other changes. Just trying to munch on raw veggies everyday, may be the fastest track to swinging into Taco Bell as soon as possible. Instead, if you find a few dishes you really enjoy and make them at the beginning of the week, it becomes a lot easier to eat veggies everyday that week. It’s repeatable and reasonable to continue to eat these meals you enjoy and are already prepared. Learning the veggies that make you feel the best and have the most energy (and are the most tasty) reinforces the reason behind why eating the veggies is important. 

That highlights another big piece of resolutions. It’s not just important to know why something is important generally but knowing your “why.” You may have heard that we all need to eat healthy and exercise more but why is that important for you specifically. Until you know the answer to that question and really dig down into your purpose for incorporating this new practice, there will be some level of depth missing from your personal investment in holding onto this change. 

For example, you may know you want to sleep more in general and even take steps to pursue that but why? You might say, “because it will benefit my health.” Ok, but what specifically will more sleep do for you? Well, it will improve my memory and brain function and give me more energy throughout the day.  Nice, and what will that do for you? “Oh, well, I’ll be more efficient in my job and have more energy to spend with my husband when I get home instead of immediately crashing.” Ok, now we are getting somewhere. Dig a little deeper! “If I do consistently well in my job, I will have a better chance at the promotion I want next quarter. I could also invest more time into my partner in the ways that I want. Ok, cool. So NOW the new habit of getting more sleep is directly tied to your goal of investing in your love life and earning a promotion! Yes, it’s still healthier for you but that’s a pretty vague reason when it comes to motivation. Lots of things are healthy alternatives that we have zero motivation to pursue. Our goals must be tied directly to something that has specific and quantifiable value to us personally.  

The FDA: Public Defender or Profit Seeker?

The FDA. We hear that acronym in the news more now than ever before but what is the FDA, really? Where does its power come from and what does it do? First, FDA stands for the Food and Drug Administration and is an agency of the United States government. It gets its power from Congress and is the result of a collection of laws that dictate the parameters of its power. You might know the most common one, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. It is one of the oldest of the dozen or so laws and acts grounding the FDA. It’s name has changed over the years to reflect its role and expertise though “FDA” has stuck for almost the last century. 

Year Designation and Location Statute

1839 Patent Office, Department of State 5 Stat. 353, 354 (1839)

1849 Chemical Laboratory of the Agr, Dpt of the Interior 9 Stat. 395 (1849)

1862 Chemical Division, Department of Agriculture 12 Stat. 387 (1862)

1889 Chemical Division, U S Department of Agriculture 25 Stat. 659 (1889)

1890 Division of Chemistry, USDA 26 Stat. 282, 283

1901 Bureau of Chemistry, USDA 31 Stat. 922, 930 (1901)

1927 Food and Drug Insecticide Administration, USDA 44 Stat. 976, 1002 (1927)

1930 Food and Drug Administration, USDA 46 Stat. 392, 422 (1930)

1940 FDA, Federal Security Agency 54 Stat. 1234, 1237 (1940)

1953 FDA, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 67 Stat. 631, 632 (1953)

1979 FDA, Department of Health and Human Services 93 Stat. 668, 695 (1979)

With an annual budget of around $6 billion, it’s important to understand as much as we can about this regulatory organization. The Administration is led by a commissioner that is appointed by the president and employs around 18 thousand people around the country. It’s important to note that there is a pretty significant gap in the FDA’s responsibilities as the USDA handles most meat, poultry and eggs regulation. The Food Safety and Inspection service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture are both separate entities. Also, as we’ve touched on in previous articles, things like food waste and pesticides are actually handled by the EPA. It’s also important to note that most food labeling regulation is outside of its purview. Some labeling is overseen by the USDA but the FDA basically just requires that food has nutritional information on its label. The accuracy of that information is not policed by them. 

A big part of understanding the conversation today about the FDA and if they are being effective in their role in the current pandemic is the question of funding. The FDA is funded in part by taxpayer money and in part but what is called user fees. Basically, manufacturers pay fees when they submit an application for their drug to be reviewed and then they pay an annual fee based on the number of drugs they have approved and in the marketplace. While about half of the FDA budget comes from user fees, more than 60% of the human drug related budget comes from user fees. Put simply, more approvals equals more money for the FDA. This might strike you as odd because it seems like a conflict of interest for the regulatory body to be funded by giving their approval to companies within the industry it is meant to regulate. Exactly. Here in lies one of the biggest pitfalls of a strong belief in the mission of the FDA. While this doesn’t automatically mean that the FDA is chasing their payday instead of prioritizing the safety of the American public, it does give one something to think about. It might also explain why drugs such as Nuplazid, a treatment for Parkinson's that lead to more deaths in the test group than the control group which received zero treatment, are still allowed to hit the market. It is one explanation but I’m sure there are others. We, the American people, are just still waiting to hear them. 

Resources:

https://www.propublica.org/article/fda-repays-industry-by-rushing-risky-drugs-to-market

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-fdas-role-public-health

https://today.uconn.edu/2021/05/why-is-the-fda-funded-in-part-by-the-companies-it-regulates-2/

https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-history

Happy New Year! Cheers?

New Years’ Eve is here and with it we round out the holiday season and prepare for an evening of cheer and toasting. However, with flu season and corona looming in the background, it might make sense to consider what the last party of the year might do to our precious, and possibly taxed, immune system. 

We’ve talked about eating well but let’s briefly dive into one of our favorite party guests, alcohol. Alcohol is undoubtedly popular and we all know it isn’t the most healthy thing to put into one’s body, but is it really all that bad? 

Beyond the impairment and dangers of functioning under the influence, alcohol itself carries a pretty heavy toll on our body’s immune system. Put simply, in any quantity, big or small, frequent or rare, it weakens us. Just one drink can suppress the immune system for as long as 24 hours. If you’ve ever had heavy drinkers in your family, you probably already know that chronic drinking carries a significant risk of several different forms of cancer. The risk of esophageal cancer, especially for those who do not process alcohol well due to an enzyme deficiency, is significantly increased by consuming alcohol, along with colorectal cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, and various cancers located in the head and neck. This increase in risk is measurable even when someone only has one drink a day or occasionally binge drinks. It’s also important to not that binge drinking here doesn’t mean getting blackout drunk. Binge drinking means having 4 or 5 drinks at one time and yes, a shot counts as a drink. 

Cancer may seem like it is just a scare word sometimes and almost everything you engage with can give you some form of cancer but that’s not all alcohol is tied to. It’s also tied to the degradation of your liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart. It impacts the brain as you might assume and most notably for this COVID plagued time, it significantly impacts the lungs. 

The immune system is suppressed by alcohol consumption and is more susceptible to infection by bacteria, virus and even physical injury. Injuries heal slower and alcohol especially stifles the healing of burns, hemorrhagic shock and traumatic brain injuries. It disrupts the microbiome in our gut which is involved in everything from breaking down our food to regulating our hormones. The system of organisms cohabitating in our gut also supports our immune system and just one serving of alcohol can throw that system into complete disarray. Frankly, the list of things not impacted in some way by that one ingredient would probably be shorter.

So, this New Year’s make sure you are considering all the risks and weighing them appropriately and keeping the very best of company before you partake of this literal bomb to the body’s homeostasis. Cheers!

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590612/pdf/arcr-37-2-153.pdf

https://adf.org.au/insights/alcohol-immune-system-covid-19/ 

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body

Color Me Unimpressed, U.S.

If you grew up in the 90s, your childhood was probably characterized by brightly colored candies and ice creams ranging from nerds, basically pure, crunchy sugar with a rainbow coating, to Baskin-Robin’s rainbow, poprocks filled flavors which ultimately turned your mouth a sort of dark purplish, horror movie black. Even at 9 or 10 you might have thought to yourself, “This can’t be good for me.” Your parents almost definitely thought it at some point but probably figured that the harm was minimal or “they wouldn't sell it for kids.” 

You and your parents were right to wonder and it turns out, we’ve known this well before now. Over a decade ago, European food standards moved to phased out artificial colorings, particularly 6 main ones tied to hyperactivity in children. Several studies showed that children with ADHD and without were more susceptible to behavioral issues after consuming these colorings. Eliminating food coloring from the diet led to an improvement in focus and behavior. Europe has since ruled out additional additives and most recently has banned White E171 food coloring as it has been linked to cancer. The same white food coloring is still used in thousands of products here in the US with no ban in sight. We are behind. 

It isn’t as if the US simply doesn't know about the harm of food coloring. The FDA has reviewed the issue several times including in 2007 and 2011 and has decided that they didn’t see the harm in continuing to use the products despite some evidence suggesting harm. Where the European Commision decided the risk of harm was enough to phase these additives out, the FDA decided the same risk wasn’t overwhelming enough to make a change. 

Some corporations have independently evaluated the risks as well and attempted to make a change. General Mills for example decided that it was worth attempting to create their most popular cereals without food coloring in 2016. They even vowed to go completely food coloring free in the following year. Unfortunately, when the change started to affect their bottom line and consumers complained that the cereal, specifically trix, just wasn't the same without blue and green pieces, General Mills relented and PUT THEM BACK. They now have the more healthy version for sale along with the original option but seem unlikely to get rid of the original Trix for the time being. Similarly, most food coloring while tied to allergies and now ADHD and other behavioral issues in children, seem to be here in the US to stay for now. While we’ve banned a few things, cancerous additives like white food coloring, don’t appear to be going anywhere. 

While the US might be a step behind in banning these additives, it’s important to do what’s best for you and your own family. White food coloring in particular has been linked not only to cancer but also neurological damage. It’s just one of the many things banned in other places that we still ingest regularly here in the States. Make sure you know what you are eating regardless of its availability in your local grocery store!

Resources: 

• European White Food Coloring Ban https://wonderfulengineering.com/europe-has-banned-common-white-e171-food-coloring-here-is-why/

• European Food Coloring Ban of 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7725316.stm 

• Neurobehavioral Effect of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/risk-assessment/report/healthefftsassess041621.pdf 

• https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(07)61306-3/fulltext 

• Trix are for kids article: https://www.fooddive.com/news/silly-general-mills-artificial-colors-are-coming-back-to-trix/505619/ 

Cadmium: A Toxic Relationship

Cadmium is one of four major heavy metal contaminants prevalent in our food market today. Mercury, Lead, and Arsenic are much more well known and are frequently discussed. Cadmium, however, we seem to talk and maybe understand less about.

Cadmium can be found in a variety of products but is most commonly used in batteries, electroplating and solder. Soldering, even as a hobby, is actually one of the most common ways someone might be exposed to cadmium in the amounts necessary for poisoning. Other occupational sources of exposure include solar cells, plastic stabilizers,  pigments and nuclear reactors! Workers who manufacture any of these products or collect waste from the manufacture of these products are at the top of the list of those at risk of high levels of cadmium exposure. Even those who just sell or transport these products will most likely have a higher than average amount of exposure. Cigarette smokers also run the risk of cadmium poisoning and the additional lung damage caused by cadmium is permanent and can be deadly. 

Cadmium is extremely poisonous and while these workers are probably experiencing chronic exposure over long periods of time, it really doesn’t take very much to have a significant impact on one’s health. OSHA outlines a number of medically evaluated thresholds for Cadmium exposure and just one indicator out of three being slightly elevated is equated with a significant increase the probability of permanent renal damage. These thresholds are evaluated through a variety of tests including blood work and a urinalysis.

Cadmium damages the lungs, the renal system which includes the kidneys and by extension the bones as the uptake of calcium is greatly reduced with kidney and liver damage. Emphysema, bronchitis, chronic rhinitis and an increased risk of lung cancer are just a few of the ways that damage to the lungs can present. Kidney damage can vary causing an increase in kidney stone development to all out kidney failure. While the extended and regular exposure to cadmium is usually the culprit in cadmium related kidney failure, even an acute exposure can reduce the proper function of the kidneys. In turn, even small changes can decrease the effectiveness of the renal system in the reuptake of necessary nutrients, notably calcium, causing a number of other health complications such as osteoporosis.

While cadmium inhalation is probably the culprit in most acute but very high cadmium exposures, cadmium ingestion is probably the main way that the rest of the population is going to be regularly exposed. While you might not have the symptoms of an acute poisoning like a worker who gets sick after welding without proper ventilation, you are still at risk for developing the issues of chronic, long term exposure. Ingesting cadmium may still result in renal damage and it doesn’t take very much. Small amounts over a number of years will be more than enough to cause renal damage. This is why it is so important that we monitor and test our foods! This is especially important for foods and supplements that we take everyday as cadmium builds up in the body. Learning and knowing where your food is coming from is the first step in preventing cadmium exposure. Testing the foods you can’t personally source is the second. As always, if you have a questions about a particular product or line of food and would like to test that product, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Resources:

Cadmium toxicity and treatment: An update: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596182/

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/cadmium/Chronic-Effects.html# 

OSHA threshold guidelines for industrial workers : https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA_3675.pdf 

Food Fraud Versus Food Safety

Food safety and food fraud might seem similar at first glance but a closer look at these two issues quickly reveals that they are two very distinct issues requiring equally unique solutions. 

Food safety in this country is generally an understood issue that requires knowing where our food is sourced and catching contaminations as quickly as possible. It mostly involves a system of tracking a particular food to the source and then issuing warnings regarding that specific food. The recent salmonella outbreak that we talked about in a previous article is an example of a food safety matter. These outbreaks are usually directly connected to a pretty immediate public harm. Salmonella leads to a pretty serious sickness. E. coli and other dangerous contaminants directly cause sickness and even death to the consumer. This is often a product of neglect or lax methodology versus intent. 

Food fraud on the other hand is usually purposeful and designed by someone attempting to make a greater profit in an underhanded method. An example of this would be adding water to wine or saying that a product came from a location that would justify a higher price point than its actual place of origin. It isn’t usually a mistake but a planned deception. This is part of the reason why a system like block-chain, which might be successful in preventing a widespread food safety violation, might not be very successful in combating food fraud. The human element in food fraud negates a lot of the benefit of a documentation system like blockchain. 

Though different, food fraud can also cause personal harm particularly if someone is procuring a particular food for the purpose of medical supplementation. If you are taking an herb for blood pressure for example, it would be pretty awful if you later found out that the capsules you’d been faithfully taking were filled with cornstarch instead. This maybe isn’t as immediate as getting sick from E coli contaminated spinach but there is still a serious amount of harm. We’ve mentioned before  situations where peanut oil could be subbed into expensive olive oil and besides the financial deception, if someone is allergic to peanuts, this fraud could have serious and even deadly consequences. 

We recently interviewed Mitchell Weinberg who runs a food investigation firm called INSCATECH. You can check out that podcast here. In that interview Mitchell expressed the belief that the best way to combat food fraud is to monitor the production of our food from the source, even if that source is a farm overseas or requires watching to see exactly how a beekeeper is feeding his bees. His firm travels around the world doing exactly that. Short of running this type of organization or partnering with one, what can we as individuals do? 

According to Mitchell and what we already know, the best way to prevent food fraud is to get up close and personal with the sources of your food. Shop local. Meet the farmer, meet the beekeeper, visit the vineyard, support a coop or local butcher shop. We’ve been saying it all along but this is truly the best way to combat food fraud. Build a relationship with those responsible for growing the food you eat. Grow some food yourself! The closer to the source you can get, the fewer opportunities for deceit to enter into the equation. Have you had any good experiences shopping local? Share your hints below!