Chemicals in Food
Foods can contain many harmful substances, including pesticides, unhealthy additives or contaminants. EWG is working to reduce the threat of toxic chemicals in food.
Most people know that soda contains sweetener and carbonation, but they may not be aware of an ingredient in some soft drinks that can harm the nervous system – brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, a food additive banned in Europe but allowed in the U.S.
Read MoreA new EWG guide brings attention to food additives, commonly found in many processed foods, that can increase the risk of cancer, harm the nervous system, change the body’s hormonal balance and affect the immune system.
Read MoreThe Packer, a leading trade publication for the conventional produce industry, loves to attack EWG’s annual Dirty Dozen™ list of fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides.
Read MoreFarms in California can no longer buy a neurotoxic pesticide that can damage children’s brains and nervous systems.
As of today, chlorpyrifos is banned for sale in the state that grows most of the nation’s fresh produce. Farmers have until the end of the year to use any remaining stockpiles of the pesticide they have on hand.
Read MoreKellogg's will take steps to phase out the use of the herbicide glyphosate to dry oats and wheat before harvest, eliminating use of the potentially harmful chemical in the main ingredients of many of the company’s breakfast cereals and other foods.
Read MoreThe array of options for selecting and cooking your Thanksgiving turkey can make your head spin. Every cook has their preference – but many people may not realize that cooking methods can introduce potentially harmful chemicals or extra saturated fat into your bird. EWG is here to help, breaking down the pros and cons.
Read MoreFood corporation Kraft-Heinz just sent a clear message to parents: Your worries about phthalate contamination in our food chain isn’t our problem.
Read MoreThe recent discovery of fluorinated chemicals, or PFAS, in food packaging should serve as a reminder that our diets are as big a source as drinking water of these toxic compounds in our bodies.
Read MoreFarmers can keep spraying fruits and vegetables with a pesticide shown to harm a child’s brain even at low levels of exposure, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency said today.
Read MoreGlyphosate, the most heavily used pesticide in the U.S., should be added to the list of toxic chemicals the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly measures in the bodies of the American people, Environmental Working Group said in a letter sent today to the CDC.
Read MoreThe two top officials with the Food and Drug Administration today dismissed test results by the agency’s own scientists that found high levels of the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS in food.
Read MoreA recent investigation by the Food and Drug Administration found per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in food, including meat, seafood and dairy products; sweet potatoes; pineapples; leafy greens, and chocolate cake with icing.
Read MoreA bill introduced today in Congress would ban the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS from use in a primary source of exposure to the compounds.
Read MoreA new analysis of Monsanto’s signature herbicide, glyphosate, released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gives weight to studies connecting glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and recommends monitoring children’s exposure to this toxic weedkiller.
Read MoreOn Thursday, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and a dozen of his fellow senators introduced legislation to ban chlorpyrifos, an insecticide that can harm children’s brains and nervous systems. But if the Trump administration had listened to Environmental Protection Agency scientists, the legislation wouldn’t be needed.
Read More10 food manufacturers and retailers have joined EWG’s petition to sharply limit glyphosate residues allowed on oats and prohibit the pesticide’s use as a pre-harvest drying agent.
Read MoreKale has higher pesticide residues than nearly all other produce found on supermarket shelves, according to the Environmental Working Group’s 2019 Dirty Dozen™.
Read MoreRep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced legislation today to dramatically limit American children’s exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller, in food.
Read MoreUnlike organic packaged foods, conventional packaged food contains thousands of poorly regulated food chemicals, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Working Group.
Read MoreAmericans are increasingly seeking “clean” foods that are free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. But although consumers who want to avoid toxic pesticides and antibiotics know to look for foods that are certified organic, many don’t know that federal rules also dramatically limit the use of synthetic substances in packaged organic foods like cereals, snacks and dressings.
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