suspect this report out this summer (almost anyone *imo* who has kids has used
kraft mac and cheese at some point) shocked more than a few consumers .. myself included ..
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break. They are often called plasticizers. Some phthalates are used as solvents (dissolving agents) for other materials.
CDC - NBP - Factsheet - Phthalates
https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/phthalates_factsheet.html
====
Phthalates found in powdered mac-and-cheese mixes
Originally published July 13, 2017 at 4:56 pm Updated July 14, 2017 at 8:25 am
A study of 30 cheese products has detected phthalates in all but one of the samples tested, with the highest concentrations found in the highly processed cheese powder in boxed mac-and-cheese mixes.(Michael Tercha/TNS, file)
Phthalates have been found in macaroni and cheese mixes made with powdered cheese. The chemical migrates into food from packaging and equipment used in manufacturing and may pose special risks to pregnant women and young children.
Potentially harmful chemicals that were banned from children’s teething rings and rubber duck toys a decade ago may still be present in high concentrations in your child’s favorite meal: macaroni and cheese mixes made with powdered cheese.
The chemicals, phthalates, can disrupt male hormones like testosterone and have been linked to genital birth defects in infant boys and learning and behavior problems in older children. The chemicals migrate into food from packaging and equipment used in manufacturing and may pose special risks to pregnant women and young children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not banned their presence in foods, though a 2014 report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission urged federal agencies to assess risks “with a view to supporting risk-management steps.” The report concluded that food, drugs and beverages, and not toys, were the primary source of exposure to phthalates.
Avoiding phthalates
If you want to reduce your family’s exposure to phthalates, here are some suggestions:
Eat more whole fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and minimize the amount of processed food you eat. “Avoid anything you find in a box that could sit around for many years,” said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the University of Washington. “There are so many steps to get to that boxed product, and every step along the way, there’s usually plastic involved.”
Choose low-fat dairy products such as skim milk and low-fat cheeses, and avoid high-fat foods such as cream, whole milk and fatty meats. “We know these more toxic phthalates accumulate in fat,” Sathyanarayana said.
Use glass, stainless steel, ceramic or wood to hold and store food instead of plastics, Sathyanarayana suggested, and if you are using sippy cups and baby bottles made from hard polycarbonate plastics, don’t put hot liquids in them.
Food isn’t the only source of exposure. Many fragrances contain phthalates, so choose unscented personal-care products, from cleansers, moisturizers and cosmetics to shampoo and detergents.
A new study of 30 cheese products has detected phthalates in all but one of the samples tested, with the highest concentrations found in the highly processed cheese powder in boxed mac-and-cheese mixes.
“The phthalate concentrations in powder from mac and cheese mixes were more than four times higher than in block cheese and other natural cheeses like shredded cheese, string cheese and cottage cheese,” said Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, one of four advocacy groups that paid for the report. Others were the Ecology Center, Healthy Babies Bright Futures and Safer States.
The groups tested 10 varieties of mac and cheese, including some that were labeled organic, and found high levels of phthalates in all of them.
The tested products were purchased in the United States and shipped in the original packaging to VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research in Belgium, where fat extracted from each product sample was analyzed for 13 phthalates using validated test methods, Belliveau said.
Some 2 million boxes of mac and cheese, a relatively inexpensive food that can be whipped up in minutes, are sold every day in the United States, according to 2013 figures from Symphony/IRI Group. Belliveau said consumers would have a hard time avoiding the chemical.
“Our belief is that it’s in every mac ’n’ cheese product; you can’t shop your way out of the problem,” said Belliveau, who is urging consumers to contact manufacturers and pressure them to investigate how phthalates are getting into their products and take steps to eliminate it. Nine of the cheese products tested were made by Kraft, which makes most of the macaroni-and-cheese products sold, though the group did not disclose the names of specific products tested. Officials with Kraft did not respond to requests for comment on the report and its findings.
Devon Hill, a lawyer in Washington who has experience with companies that make phthalates, said many phthalates have been phased out of food processing and packaging, and those still in use result in very low exposures. The cheese tests looked for the presence of 13 different phthalates and detected all but two, with some food items containing up to six phthalates in a single product.
Environmental and food-safety groups petitioned the FDA last year to remove all phthalates from food, food packaging, and food-processing and manufacturing equipment, though the petition has been delayed temporarily for technical reasons, said Tom Neltner, chemicals-policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund, which is coordinating the petition process for 11 advocacy groups, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Working Group and others.
“A chemical is not allowed in food unless there is a reasonable certainty it will cause no harm,” Neltner said, adding that because of the evidence regarding the potential harms of phthalates, “We don’t think the FDA can say there is a reasonable certainty of no harm.”
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/what...tudy-says/
kraft mac and cheese at some point) shocked more than a few consumers .. myself included ..
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break. They are often called plasticizers. Some phthalates are used as solvents (dissolving agents) for other materials.
CDC - NBP - Factsheet - Phthalates
https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/phthalates_factsheet.html
====
Phthalates found in powdered mac-and-cheese mixes
Originally published July 13, 2017 at 4:56 pm Updated July 14, 2017 at 8:25 am
A study of 30 cheese products has detected phthalates in all but one of the samples tested, with the highest concentrations found in the highly processed cheese powder in boxed mac-and-cheese mixes.(Michael Tercha/TNS, file)
Phthalates have been found in macaroni and cheese mixes made with powdered cheese. The chemical migrates into food from packaging and equipment used in manufacturing and may pose special risks to pregnant women and young children.
Potentially harmful chemicals that were banned from children’s teething rings and rubber duck toys a decade ago may still be present in high concentrations in your child’s favorite meal: macaroni and cheese mixes made with powdered cheese.
The chemicals, phthalates, can disrupt male hormones like testosterone and have been linked to genital birth defects in infant boys and learning and behavior problems in older children. The chemicals migrate into food from packaging and equipment used in manufacturing and may pose special risks to pregnant women and young children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not banned their presence in foods, though a 2014 report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission urged federal agencies to assess risks “with a view to supporting risk-management steps.” The report concluded that food, drugs and beverages, and not toys, were the primary source of exposure to phthalates.
Avoiding phthalates
If you want to reduce your family’s exposure to phthalates, here are some suggestions:
Eat more whole fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and minimize the amount of processed food you eat. “Avoid anything you find in a box that could sit around for many years,” said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the University of Washington. “There are so many steps to get to that boxed product, and every step along the way, there’s usually plastic involved.”
Choose low-fat dairy products such as skim milk and low-fat cheeses, and avoid high-fat foods such as cream, whole milk and fatty meats. “We know these more toxic phthalates accumulate in fat,” Sathyanarayana said.
Use glass, stainless steel, ceramic or wood to hold and store food instead of plastics, Sathyanarayana suggested, and if you are using sippy cups and baby bottles made from hard polycarbonate plastics, don’t put hot liquids in them.
Food isn’t the only source of exposure. Many fragrances contain phthalates, so choose unscented personal-care products, from cleansers, moisturizers and cosmetics to shampoo and detergents.
A new study of 30 cheese products has detected phthalates in all but one of the samples tested, with the highest concentrations found in the highly processed cheese powder in boxed mac-and-cheese mixes.
“The phthalate concentrations in powder from mac and cheese mixes were more than four times higher than in block cheese and other natural cheeses like shredded cheese, string cheese and cottage cheese,” said Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, one of four advocacy groups that paid for the report. Others were the Ecology Center, Healthy Babies Bright Futures and Safer States.
The groups tested 10 varieties of mac and cheese, including some that were labeled organic, and found high levels of phthalates in all of them.
The tested products were purchased in the United States and shipped in the original packaging to VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research in Belgium, where fat extracted from each product sample was analyzed for 13 phthalates using validated test methods, Belliveau said.
Some 2 million boxes of mac and cheese, a relatively inexpensive food that can be whipped up in minutes, are sold every day in the United States, according to 2013 figures from Symphony/IRI Group. Belliveau said consumers would have a hard time avoiding the chemical.
“Our belief is that it’s in every mac ’n’ cheese product; you can’t shop your way out of the problem,” said Belliveau, who is urging consumers to contact manufacturers and pressure them to investigate how phthalates are getting into their products and take steps to eliminate it. Nine of the cheese products tested were made by Kraft, which makes most of the macaroni-and-cheese products sold, though the group did not disclose the names of specific products tested. Officials with Kraft did not respond to requests for comment on the report and its findings.
Devon Hill, a lawyer in Washington who has experience with companies that make phthalates, said many phthalates have been phased out of food processing and packaging, and those still in use result in very low exposures. The cheese tests looked for the presence of 13 different phthalates and detected all but two, with some food items containing up to six phthalates in a single product.
Environmental and food-safety groups petitioned the FDA last year to remove all phthalates from food, food packaging, and food-processing and manufacturing equipment, though the petition has been delayed temporarily for technical reasons, said Tom Neltner, chemicals-policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund, which is coordinating the petition process for 11 advocacy groups, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Working Group and others.
“A chemical is not allowed in food unless there is a reasonable certainty it will cause no harm,” Neltner said, adding that because of the evidence regarding the potential harms of phthalates, “We don’t think the FDA can say there is a reasonable certainty of no harm.”
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/what...tudy-says/
