Ryan Wen ’27, Kyle Zhang ’27
Acrylamide, Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Erythritol. These words may sound as though they are compounds studied in AP Chemistry, but they are actually some of the chemicals found in everyday food, used to preserve quality, enhance texture and taste, extend longevity, and protect food from pathogens.
The subject of food within the United States and across the globe has always been a very important topic of discussion, particularly surrounding the chemicals found in everyday items.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created to handle questions regarding just that: food, nutrition, chemicals, and more. On September 25, 2024, The administration held a meeting to further discuss the issues our country is facing in the grocery aisles.
The meeting held last month focused on the development of an enhanced systematic process for the post-market assessment of chemicals in food. In other words, the FDA is looking to create a system to enable continuous re-evaluation of chemicals used in the food industry. The organization hopes to address current limitations in the existing approach. While the system appears to be promising, there is skepticism regarding its potential impact on the food industry and whether companies will be forced to modify production. “On principle, I’m very much in favor of a review committee to evaluate the chemical contents of foods post-production,” says Grace Limaye, Upper School Science teacher. “In reality, I’m concerned about whether it will be successful because of the impact of the industrial food lobby in the government.” By employing advanced technology such as machine learning and AI, the system would be able to monitor food supply and detect potential chemical hazards by scanning scientific literature and consumer reports. The FDA would use this information to determine which chemicals should be prioritized based on the severity of potential health effects, the extent of public exposure, and the level of public concern. This would allow the FDA to better allocate its resources towards focused assessments for lower-risk chemicals or comprehensive assessments for higher-risk chemicals. Stakeholder engagement would play a part throughout this process to ensure transparency and incorporate diverse viewpoints. Theoretically, the system would improve continuously as more data becomes available.
Photo courtesy of fda.gov
Additionally, considerable concern has risen regarding another aspect of the FDA: their regulations surrounding processed foods. Relaxed policies on processed foods and food additives have long been a focal point of criticism directed toward the FDA. For instance, while the organization bans poisonous and toxic substances that result in ~1,400 deaths in America per year, no such policy currently exists for protection against processed foods. Sources such as Harvard Public Health have even stated that processed foods, a key cause of chronic food illnesses, play a role in the deaths of nearly 700,000 Americans every year. Susie Lim, Upper School Chemistry Teacher, voices her thoughts on processed foods and their prevalence in the U.S. compared to other countries, sharing, “I definitely noticed that compared to other countries, American food packages and American food labels will have a lot more calories and sugar. Also…, there are a lot of chemicals written in small print that I don’t necessarily recognize and that are definitely bad for you. I don’t know if there is anything that I particularly look out for, but in general, I don’t love the idea of processed food. As a chemistry teacher, I try to avoid certain chemicals and plastics.”
These processed foods that are allowed to stay in grocery store aisles and food cabinets disproportionately affect lower-income families. As Limaye explains, “The fact that processed foods are cheaper than organically grown or fresh foods is an economic issue for people in our country. Often, the only choices they have are to buy the cheap, chemically laden processed foods that can last longer on their shelves and are more inexpensive than ones that may be much better for them in terms of nutrients.” Adding to that perspective, Jameson Stalkamp ’27 states, “[Processed foods] are more unhealthy, but they’re generally cheaper and easier to access. I feel like a lot of the time the reason that they buy [Fruity Pebbles] isn’t because their favorite food is Fruity Pebbles but probably more because it’s cheaper.”
Whether or not the FDA’s new strategy to use machine learning to better safeguard against potentially damaging chemicals eventually develops, it is clear that new regulations need to be put in place to prevent giant corporations from profiting off selling processed foods. The FDA can no longer simply protect the American public from contaminants in their food; they need to prevent the hundreds of thousands of deaths resulting each year from processed foods that remain in stores across the country.