In a new report published in Nature Medicine, scientists determined that synthetic chemicals found in America’s food system are an overlooked threat to public health. Their conclusion: a need to transition to a safer, more sustainable food system.
While the types of chemical contaminants in food are diverse, many are known to be hazardous, posing health impacts, with mounting evidence that some contribute to noncommunicable diseases, the study reported.
“Public health should be a priority for policymakers, and the importance of mitigating chemical exposures is still underappreciated,” scientists said.
Synthetic chemicals, including pesticides, additives, plastics and food contact materials, are used to preserve perishable foods. There are more than 15,000 known food contact chemicals, but up to 100,000 exist, the study confirmed. Scientist said contamination by food contact chemicals have four main pathways—food processing, transportation, packaging, and preparation.
Scientific evidence demonstrated that synthetic chemicals, such as bisphenols, phthalates and PFAS, present in food can damage human health. Some health impacts include adult obesity and adult diabetes and increased risk of preterm birth, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes in women and chronic hypertension especially during prenatal and perinatal development, according to research.
The authors of this article are calling on governments’ to play a “critical role in reducing public exposure to harmful chemicals,” Environmental Health News reported. Scientists concluded that the modern globalized food system and its reliance on synthetic chemicals is prioritizing “short-term profit and cost-efficiency over human health.”
“The evidence, research needs and policy recommendations presented here highlight opportunities for intervention, both in terms of dietary recommendations and short-term policymaking (for example, bans of certain FCCs and materials), but also in the longer term, toward safer food and food contact materials, more local food production and consumption and the urgently needed transformation of the food system toward sustainability.”
Read the entire study here.
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