Comments on: Popcorn Maker To Drop Flavoring Chemical

ConAgra Says It Will Replace Popcorn Chemical Linked To Lung Ailment

[toldyouso21]

The FDA does not like to do this due to the potential backlash if something about a food or drug points to them failing to have it tested properly. So far, they have been able to deflect and point all blame back on a company or even just let it be a public problem, but the fact is the FDA and the USDA are in bed with industry and have been almost since their inception. All monitoring groups do what the wh says to do or look the other way if told to do so--this means, that when a Pres. is in power beholden to or enamoured with industry--no onw is watching the foxes and the hen house. and the ******* hits the fan, due to University studies or a lot of pets or people dying. What we don''t think about, is that it took the harm or deaths of a lot of people consuming products affected by these and other chemicals to finally get this information. Neither the FDA, USDA or any other gov. agency ever regulated or tested enough to know the harm of most food additives--we find out over time when people die. So who of us will be unwitting volunteers to this guinea pig process? The creed is greed. It out trumps anyone person or any disease or bad results. If people knew how much the FDA was NOT looking out for them, there would be a revolt.

[toldyouso21]

Because of this--we NOW know DDT can cause deformities (mutagen), Thimerasol causes cancer, Saccharine causes cancer, Aspartame is now linked to cancer, that sugar alcohols are not harmless either. Even with the so called tested drugs--all who take them are the real testing guinea pigs. So we have found out that many antibiotics can cause a systemic form of skin disease if taken and exposed to the sun, that Acetomeniphen if taken too much--will damage the liver (which can be deadly), we have found out that there is accumulative lead and mercury in a lot of so called healthy fish (like salmon and Mackerel) and that too much iron or vitamin D will kill us- that some antidepressants drive people to destruction and violence-people fail to realize that it was not rigorous testing was never discovered by the companies or the FDA--but by the real results over time to people. Enough people have to fall ill, or die and the Drs and families have to complain, then the hospitals and Drs call the FDA, then they look into it. next post

[toldyouso21]

A MUST read for anyone concerned about this issue: "Fast Food Nation" this book which not only covers fast food, also covers the very secretive issue of food chemicals. Almost every pre-prepared food we eat and many supposedly fresh ones(such as tv dinners, frozen foods, meats and even fresh fruits and veggies) has been chemically enhanced.

Everyone thinks because chemicals have been approved by the FDA--that they must be safe. But the real fact is, that many chemicals approved by the FDA are neither adequately monitored or tested. The stringency that supposedly is used for pharmaceuticals is NOT the same division or stringency used for food or even for vitamins.

For instance, though vitamins and neutraceuticals degrade no expiration date is required on those products. The colorings, perservatives and chemicals we eat (and yes, even a lot of so called health food we eat) are man made. The coloring and much of the flavoring on french fries, the fake red of fresh meat, etc are chemicals and frankly, no one knows the long term effects. Data is empirical--which means it is gathered from what happens to a lot of real people as we go along.

see next post

[samsel3]

To Juboy Hydrochloric Acid is the primary stomach acid for hydrolysis of foods.

[samsel3]

to the folks at cbs: Thanks for updating this story and including the real name for this disease Bronchiolitis Obliterans. As the name implies inhalation of Diacetyl 2,3-Butadione destroys lung tissue, especially smoothe muscle tissue and increases the thickness of the bronchial walls making it difficult for the lung to function & to expell air. Eating foods containing this chemical will also cause damage though not as quickly. From the throat to the stomach necrotic lesions have been found. Damage to the liver, kidneys, adrenal& pituitary glands also occur.

[juwboy]

samse13:

I did not claim that diacetyl is harmless anywhere in my comments.

I was trying to make the point that "chemical", with reference to diacetyl, is downright misleading.

As you can clearly see from the last sentence of the report, diacetyl occurs in Nature and is responsible for the NATURAL taste of butter.

What happens to it when the fumes are breathed?
It is metabolised to the NATURAL substance, acetic acid, the major, non-aqueous component of vinegar, a NATURAL food. Furthermore, acetic acid occurs NATURALLY in every cell in the human body and plays a pivotal role in the body''s biochemistry.

So, breathing in hot fumes of diacetyl is equivalent to breathing the fumes from hot vinegar -- irritating but harmless in small quantities, possibly harmful in larger amounts.

Banning the use of diacetyl is equivalent to banning vinegar. If common sense is applied to the handling and use of vinegar, it''s harmless. If you breathe the hot fumes of vinegar, it could hurt you, but no-one''s going to suggest that vinegar should be removed from supermarket shelves, are they?

[brianbwb-2009]

Yes, after a few people have gotten sick and perhaps have already died, the condition apparently around long enough to acquire the name "popcorn lung" has prompted the wonderful free market to adjust.
Posted by l8c6

It wasn''t the condition, or even the lawsuits (the cost was below the threshold for "acceptable liability"), it was the publicity...

[l8c6]

Yes, after a few people have gotten sick and perhaps have already died, the condition apparently around long enough to acquire the name "popcorn lung" has prompted the wonderful free market to adjust.

[missingamerica]

"The announcement comes a day after a doctor at a leading lung research hospital said in a warning letter to federal regulators that consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn."

Ah, yes, the Republican touch..."too many regulations, too many laws, the market will self-enforce good manufacturing practices".

How fortunate for those otherwise disposable factory workers that the all important CONSUMERS were about to learn they were being endangered, too.

You see, it doesn''t really have a d@amned thing to do with when and if even a CONSUMER here or there dies; it only begins to matter if it looks like enough CONSUMERS will be scared off of a product to negatively impact its profit margin.

[Krazcarl]

Glad I was lasy and skimed my corn on a butter stick then reached and stuck on a few more how mom taught me. Agree with susie_Q the artificail butter taste artificial.

[ecuadoriana]

Butter flavoured chemicals!

I never understood why food has to be covered with chemicals in the first place. People would rather eat chemicals than actual food. Why?? To lose weight? Well, obviously that isn''t working- look at the size of everyone (of course, ordering super barrel sized tubs of popcorn at the movie theatre sort of defeats the low cal concept)! Maybe people should consider eating real food, but less of it? With an extra helping of little self control perhaps? Right, like that''ll ever happen.

Oh, but heaven forbid if the chinese put lead in their toy manufacturing! Bad: Chinese people (Gotta keep up that supply of hated ethic groups)! Good: Artificially flavoured food!

Talk about hypocrisy!

I''ve worked in places where every afternoon the employees microwaved that horrible smelling chemical popcorn. The stench would make me gag. Then they all walked around stuffing it in their faces, spilling it on the floor, & getting their greasy chemical butter finger prints all over everything. Gross & double gross. Triple gross when they lick their fingers off before picking up the phone & pushing buttons on the copier!

Weird phenomenon that people blindly convince themselves that something tastes good & is healthy for them when all evidence & common sense points to the obvious fact that most of what people eat is 100% cr@p.

"You are what you eat" certainly is true.

[someone231]

aww!!! their pass their best buy date, by like 18 months

[someone231]

mmmm. I have a taste for popcorn now!

[boldwin223]

Flavoring chemicals such as diacetyl and MSG should be banned from all food products.

[susieq_13]

That is too funny Kaviz...
I never have liked buttery flavored microwave popcorn. It tastes funny to me. You can tell it''s not real butter. I do like Kettle Corn. I hope they don''t change that recipe.

[kaviz]

Thats it! I say we start a movement to ban microwave popcorn from all work places so I wont get ill from second hand buttery flavoring.

[bxjohnson]

Wow, what about chicken licking?

[samsel3]

JUboy yes Fluoride and floride are correct spellings.. More importantly read the NIOSH study from 2002, and if you have a friend at BASF look at their study. There are also dozens of peer reviewed studies that will give you second thoughts about Diacetyl 2,3-Butanedione..

[juwboy]

samse13:

FLUORIDE is correct for both the American and English spellings.

FLOURIDE is a common mis-spelling in both the US and the UK.

[samsel3]

A few years back some of the manufacturers of Diacetyl were Aldrich chemical, Penta manufacturing, and International Chemical Group....Concerning my time at Arthur D. Little, Acorn Park Cambridge MA. I was in product development and the engineering division and served as a private consultant to the company.