Hype energy drink lies on its side, on a bde of ice cubes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “hands-off approach” to food additives, including those found in ultra-processed foods and energy drinks, may allow unsafe ingredients to enter the nation’s food supply. — Photo by vahid kanani on Unsplash

FDA’s “Hands-Off” Approach: Are Unsafe Ingredients Sneaking into Your Food?

Michael Hunter, MD

Published in

BeingWell

3 min readSep 1, 2024

I am very interested in the role processed foods play in the bad health outcomes of many Americans.

So, I am not surprised that experts writing in the American Journal of Public Health observe this:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “hands-off approach” to food additives, including those found in ultra-processed foods and energy drinks, may allow unsafe ingredients to enter the nation’s food supply.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also in Washington, D.C. — Photo by Caleb Fisher on Unsplash

Has the government failed to protect us from food additives such as brominated vegetable oil and red dye No. 3?

Today, I want to share a recent editorial with you.

I often wondered how so many of our foods can be ultra-processed or have additives that I don’t see used in Japan or Europe.

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I should begin by explaining why I am unhappy about the current state of regulation in the United States.

FDA’s “Hands-Off” Approach: Are Unsafe Ingredients Sneaking into Your Food?

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Written by Michael Hunter, MD