While I most certainly applaud Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Ricardo Salvador, and Olivier de Schutter for their tenacity in advocating a national policy that fosters the support of real whole foods, I am wondering when food advocates are going to recognize that fortified foods are, hands down, far more associated with chronic disease than any other variable. If we want a National Food Policy that works, it will have to be done with the de-fortification of our food supply.
Developed countries that do not fortify have significantly less obesity. And the timing of fortification increases correlates perfectly with increases in obesity and diabetes in a wide array of developed nations. This correlation has been established in the scientific literature:
The correlation even holds in state-wide regions.
Some have hypothesized that this is actually due to a mineral imbalance caused by fortifying iron without necessary co-factor minerals like manganese and copper. Iron-fortified products mimic the same mineral imbalance one might obtain from a high-meat diet. Countries that eat the most meat and fortify their foods have the most health problems. This cannot be a coincidence.
I am no fan of GMOs, but GMOs did not come onto grocery shelves before 1994 — long after our nation’s health problems were in full swing. Therefore, the GMOs could not possibly be responsible for the majority of health problems that are ubiquitous in America today.
Many European countries do not fortify their foods, and they are far healthier for it. Denmark has even banned fortified foods due to health concerns. When will our health and food advocates realize that fortification (and/or high meat intake) is a significant factor explaining most chronic disease differences between populations? I hope soon.
