A deadly ingredient used to produce the “buttery smelling’” flavor in popcorn just took a $7.2 million dollar hit by Wayne Watson, a Denver, Colorado popcorn addict,who was awarded the large sum in response to his diminished lung capacity.
Diacytel, a chemical used to produce the smell, has been a well known culprit behind a well hid problem in the microwave popcorn industry. Most of its victims have been the workers subjected to the chemical during production. Orville Redenbacher made headlines just a few years ago when it announced their product would be “Diacytel-free”, with many other manufacturers following suit. However, not all complied and the current administration did nothing to step in to demand the deadly product be removed, completely. The closest they came to doing anything about it was to endorse it in 2011 following an FDA investigation (see below comments).
Isn’t that ironic, that the current administration, which is all about healthcare reform, hasn’t done anything to stop the ingestion of deadly chemicals in our food? Couldn’t President Obama at least taken a preventative versus reactive stand to ensure the safe delivery of our food products?
Perhaps, like most of us, Watson thought his only problem was his popcorn addiction. Now his lung capacity is at 53%, and he faces a lifetime of future problems. Wouldn’t it have been nice to know the problem existed, giving Watson a choice in the matter? The biggest question all of us have when it comes to known problems, such as this one, with chemically enhanced food should be: Why hasn’t the government stepped up to have this product removed completely from consumption? An interesting article to read about the history of this problem can be found at the following link (http://www.aolnews.com/2009/12/10/just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe-to-make-popcorn/).
President Obama spent a whole lot of energy on producing a healthcare program yet didn’t take one step forward in reducing the average American’s exposure to toxic chemicals used in the production of our food or lacing the flavoring of it, as well. Wouldn’t it have been more beneficial to focus on making products safer, thus reducing the risks Americans face through food consumption, than to create policies that only band-aid the problem?
2011 FDA ruling on Diacytel
The FDA’s ruling during the Obama Administration’s painfully weak response to taking a stand to stop the use of Diacytel when it found there wasn’t enough reason to ban the use of the product and protect the public:
“In light of these considerations the Select Committee concludes that: There is no evidence in the available information on diacetyl or starter distillate that demonstrates or suggests reasonable grounds to suspect a hazard to the public when they are used at levels that are now current, or that might reasonably be expected in the future.” (http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedasSafeGRAS/GRASSubstancesSCOGSDatabase/ucm261273.htm)
The FDA has knowingly turned a blind eye to protect the public by allowing known toxic chemicals to be used in food production. If you want to reduce the healthcare problem in America, start with addressing the root-cause: Chemically laced food.
Until we have a President who stands up to Corporate America’s greed (Monsanto, the largest producer of GMO’s is one of the highest traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange), the healthcare epidemic will only get worse.
Quick Tips for Wellness: Chemically laced food = genetically modified people.
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