People can get healthier McDonald’s in Europe, according to food activist Vani Hari. She highlighted the difference in ingredients between McDonald’s fries in the United States and the UK during a recent Senate roundtable discussion. In the US, McDonald’s fries contain 11 ingredients, while the UK version has only three. This raises concerns about unsafe chemicals present in US foods that are banned in other Western countries.
The Epoch Times verified that US McDonald’s fries contain ten or more ingredients, while the UK version has three or more ingredients. The issue lies with a legal loophole that allows companies to self-regulate and designate ingredients as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) without notifying the FDA or the public. Jennifer Pomeranz, an associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, explained that this lack of regulation is due to a lack of safety data submission requirements.
Europe takes a precautionary approach by banning substances like growth hormones and certain artificial colorings based on potential harm. In contrast, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates food additives through a petition process using the GRAS principle. This principle allows some ingredients to enter the market without thorough testing.
Notably, potentially harmful chemicals like azodicarbonamide remain legal in the US but are banned in several countries due to their link to cancer. The FDA is reviewing its safety regulations for certain food dyes and has already banned brominated vegetable oil.
Food activist Vani Hari calls for stricter regulations and greater transparency with ingredient lists to protect consumers’ health, especially children’s health. Policy recommendations include requiring companies to notify the FDA of how they determined an ingredient as GRAS before adding it to foods.
As food safety concerns grow, The FDA is set to launch its Human Foods Program on Tuesday aimed at reorganizing operations and improving safety evaluations for food additives and GRAS substances.
