A leading food safety expert has slammed an American Thanksgiving staple for ingredients that have been linked to cancer and banned abroad.
Stove Top Stuffing, which was launched in 1972 and is now manufactured by Kraft Heinz, contains butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Up to 50 million homes will serve it as a side dish this Thanksgiving.
BHA is a synthetic petrochemical that is widely used as a preservative in cereals and other dry products. BHT is used in similar products and helps fats in foods stay fresher longer.
BHA is considered a carcinogen and has been shown to promote tumor growth and impair blood clotting. It also acts as an endocrine disruptor and is associated with the underdevelopment of the reproductive system.
Both BHA and BHT pose a threat to the circulatory system and BHT can affect testosterone levels, as well as affecting sperm quality.
It can also cause enlarged liver, inflammation of the lungs, and kidney damage.
While common in American foods, the substances are very limited in Europe. Both have been banned for use in the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Former USDA food chief Dr Darin Detwiler told DailyMail.com that “the controversy over Stove Top Stuffing, a beloved Thanksgiving side dish banned in many countries, perfectly illustrates the challenges and contradictions in standards.” global food security”.
Stove Top Stuffing, which was launched in 1972 and is now manufactured by Kraft Heniz, contains butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as preservatives.
‘In the United States, the ‘Generally Recognized as Safe’ (GRAS) system allows companies to determine for themselves whether food additives are safe.
“This system, designed to streamline innovation, often overlooks rigorous, independent security testing.
“In contrast, European Union (EU) countries and Canada require much stricter pre-market approval processes for food additives, prioritizing consumer safety over industry convenience.”
While in the USStovetop filler contains BHA and BHT, fIn the European, Canadian and other markets, Dr. Detwiler says that “similar products exclude these chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives or with shorter shelf lives.”
Stove filling iIt is only distributed in the United States.
The FDA considers BHA and BHT to be safe for use in processed foods in limited quantities, with approved levels being a maximum level of 0.02 percent, or 200 parts per million.
A Kraft Heinz company spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the “FDA has thoroughly reviewed the ingredients and deemed them safe for human consumption” and “for more than 50 years, Stove Top Stuffing has been a trusted dinner table favorite.” relatives”.
While many reports claim that Stove Top Stuffing is banned in other countries, a spokesperson for the product told this website that is not the case (stock image)
Supporting Kraft Heinz, Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy at the Consumer Brands Association, told DailyMail.com that the trade organization works “closely with the FDA to ensure that ingredients in consumer packaged products safe for consumers.
Ms. Gallo continued: ‘The food and beverage industry adheres to the rigorous evidence- and science-based safety standards set by the FDA that strictly protect America’s food supply to deliver the products from which Consumers depend on it every day.
“Both BHA and BHT have been deemed safe through the FDA review program.”
Ms. Gallo expressed concern about advocacy groups criticizing products like Stove Top Stuffing because “the demonization of ready-to-eat foods could limit access to nutritious foods and cause them to be avoided, resulting in decreased diet quality, increased risk of foodborne illness, increased food waste, and increased health disparities.”
However, Dr. Detwiler says more needs to be done to ensure stricter regulation of food products in the United States.
He said: ‘As seen with Stove Top Stuffing, some manufacturers only reformulate products when forced to do so by foreign regulations.
‘This underlines the need for companies to adopt stricter internal standards rather than relying solely on regulatory requirements.
“Transparency, independent testing, and the voluntary removal of controversial additives are steps companies can (and should) take to rebuild consumer trust.”