Hormone-disrupting chemicals, damaging dyes and toxin-laden fragrances are some of the star ingredients in popular bath bombs, and as you relax in the tub — you end up soaking up a lot more than you bargained for.

Damaging dyes stain skin, enter blood stream

One of the consequences of using bath bombs is that these vibrantly colored fizzies have the potential to turn your skin any shade of the rainbow — especially if you were to use one incorrectly. Last year, a woman reportedly turned herself bright pink for three whole days after mistakenly using the product incorrectly.

But stained skin isn’t the only concerning aspect of dyes in bath products. Artificial dyes are known for causing an array of ill health effects — and those effects are not just perpetrated through consumption. A Slovenian study from 2013 discovered that skin also absorbs dyes — particularly through mucous membranes and skin that’s just been shaved. After being absorbed through the skin, the dye particles enter directly into the bloodstream, instead of first being broken down in the digestive system or filtered out by the liver.

Many of the dyes used in cosmetics are controversial. For example, D&C Red 33 is a dye derived from coal tar or petroleum. Coal tar dyes are known carcinogens and products containing them are required to be labeled in California under Proposition 65. However, this dye, and others like it, can be found in many bath fizzies.

Artificial dyes of this sort have also been linked to causing allergy-like reactions, ADHD in children, and some have even been linked to neuron damage and brain cancer. At least nine commonly used synthetic dyes have been found to have harmful effects on human health.

Toxic ingredients lurk in fragrances

While “fragrance” may seem like an innocuous item on a label, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Many synthetic fragrances — about 95 percent of them, actually — are derived from petroleum. Many synthetic fragrances are suspected endocrine disrupters. Phthalates, in particular, are known to be very toxic. Diethyl phthalate can be found in an estimated 97 percent of American citizens, and has been linked to damaging sperm in epidemiological studies.

And as an Environmental Working Group report revealed, “Fragrance secrecy is legal due to a giant loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, which requires companies to list cosmetics ingredients on the product labels but explicitly exempts fragrance.” And with this explicit exemption comes implicit permission for the cosmetic industry keep the public in the dark about what really goes into “fragrance” — even when the ingredients are none so safe.

Other bath bomb health concerns

While toxic ingredients like endocrine-disrupting pthalates and carcinogenic dyes top the list for concerns when it comes to bath bombs (and other personal care products), there are several other concerning things about bath fizzies. For example, many bath bombs contain glitter. Glitter is generally made from non-biodegradable plastic, which means once you wash the sparkly stuff down the drain, it’s going to be sticking around in the environment for decades. Much like microbeads, glitter is considered to be a “micro plastic” that persists and never breaks down. While this is not a personal health concern, glitter is a major concern for environmental health.

There are some very personal health concerns related to the use of bath bombs, however. Urinary tract infections, for example, are a big concern when it comes to bath fizzies. While it is known that showers are better for preventing UTIs, the common allergens and skin irritants found in bath bombs can actually trigger the formation of an infection. The chemical fragrances found in some bath fizzies can also disrupt the natural pH balance of the vagina, and can pave the way for a yeast infection to set in.

Unless you’re making your own homemade bath bombs, it might be best to stay away from them.

Sources:

Live-Clear.com

ScientificAmerican.com

EWG.org

Here is a look at the top three ingredients that nutritionists say you should stop putting in your smoothies right away if you want to be healthy, along with some substitutions that will get you on the right track. (RELATED: See Ingredients.news for more news about healthy vs. risky ingredients.)

Flavored Yogurt

Yogurt features prominently in many smoothies because of its high protein content and the creamy texture it lends to the beverage. However, if you’re using flavored yogurt, you are veering into dessert territory. The American Heart Association says that women should only eat around 25 grams of added sugars each day, and some types of flavored yogurt have 26 grams in just one 6-ounce container!

If you want that creamy texture without any of the dangerous sugar, opt for low-fat Greek yogurt, which normally has around 6 grams of sugar per serving. You’ll also need to pay attention to portion sizes; check the labels carefully to make sure your yogurt of choice is within an acceptable range.

Frozen Yogurt

Another mistake that many people make is putting frozen yogurt in their smoothies, thinking that they are doing themselves a favor by forgoing ice cream. While it is true that frozen yogurt is a healthier alternative to ice cream, it still has no place in a healthy smoothie. It does not provide much in the way of nourishment, and it also has an unacceptable amount of sugar and calories. If you want your smoothie to be refreshing on a hot day, ditch the frozen yogurt and add some plain yogurt and crushed ice instead. You’ll still get that cool and creamy consistency you crave without any unnecessary sugar. Let the organic fruits you add provide the sweetness instead.

Artificial Sweeteners

Smoothies are not dessert, and there really is no reason to add sugar of any type if you are using fruit, which is naturally sweet. While adding honey or table sugar is overkill, turning to an artificial sweetener is an even bigger mistake that could have serious consequences for your health. It doesn’t matter which one you turn to – they have all been linked with a variety of side effects and illnesses. Aspartame has been linked to cancer and promotes weight gain, while sucralose has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Why take the risk when a smoothie is naturally sweet in the first place? By adding up to a cup of your favorite organic fruit, your smoothie will be plenty sweet and won’t adversely affect your health. (RELATED: Find more news about artificial sweeteners at Sweeteners.news)

While these are the three biggest offenders, there are a few other ingredients that you should stop adding to your smoothies. Dried fruit, for example, can have quite a lot of added sugar, as can some juices. Instead, you can also experiment with healthy add-ins like apple cider vinegar and kale. Some people like to add turmeric, hemp seeds, or organic chia seeds to their smoothies. Part of the fun of making a smoothie is experimenting. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that anything that goes into your blender is completely natural.

Sources include:

Prevention.com

NaturalNews.com

Blogs.NaturalNews.com

While most of us are aware that every mouthful of a McDonald’s meal contains fat-promoting ingredients, we often don’t realize how many chemicals are in there too. Let’s look at 10 horrifying ingredients that should flip your appetite for a Big Mac. (RELATED: Learn more about toxic food ingredients at Ingredients.news)

1.      Ammonium sulfate

Ammonium sulfate is an inorganic salt used as a fertilizer and flame retardant, and it is also added to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. But did you know that ammonium sulfate can also be found in a burger bun? This nasty chemical has been associated with irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea, nausea and hormone disruption.

2.      Silicone oil

If you are a chicken nuggets lover then you are a regular consumer of dimethylpolysiloxane, also known as silicone oil. Silicone oil is a synthetic material used to make contact lenses, caulking, silly putty and lubricants. The use of this non-biodegradable oil has been decreased in breast implants due to safety concerns.

3.      Cysteine-L

Cysteine-L is an amino acid synthesized from human hair or duck feathers. It is used to flavor meat and soften bread and pastries. Consumption of cysteine-L has been linked to constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, rashes, fever, headaches, drowsiness, low blood pressure and liver problems.

4.      TBHQ

TBHQ, or tertiary butylhydroquinone, is a petroleum-based additive found in cosmetic products and 18 different McDonald’s menu items. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified this chemical as totally safe for human consumption, long-term use can result in aggravation of ADHD symptoms, stomach cancer, damaged DNA and death.

5.      Propylene glycol

Found in anti-freeze, e-cigarettes and fast food, propylene glycol can cause damage to the central nervous system and worsen existing allergies and eye and skin conditions.

6.      Prescription drugs

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University found alarming levels of antidepressants and other prescription, over-the-counter and banned drugs in chicken feed and chicken products from fast food restaurants. Because McDonald’s doesn’t use organic chicken, their chicken products very likely contain traces of prescription medications or antibiotics.

7.      Dimethylpolysiloxane

Dimethylpolysiloxane is often added to cooking oils used to prepare McDonald’s filet-o-fish, chicken nuggets and French fries. Besides being found in most fried fast foods, dimethylpolysiloxane is also utilized in the production of silly putty, contact lenses, caulking, shampoos and conditioners, breast implants, cosmetics, polishes and heat resistant tiles.

8.      Carminic acid

Carminic acid is a red food dye synthesized by cochineal beetles. It is often added to fast food meats to give them a more vibrant and appealing color. Until 2009, carmine, cochineal extract or natural red 4, were classified as “natural dyes.” These days, however, the FDA requires carmine and cochineal extract to be explicitly identified in ingredient lists because they can cause severe allergic reactions in some people.

9.      Cellulose

While cellulose may be a natural product produced from wood pulp, who wants to eat lots of indigestible wood fibers? Cellulose is added to nearly every fast food item as a way to add volume. It can be found in cheese, salad dressing, muffins and strawberry syrup, among many others. You name it, and chances are wood pulp is in there.

10.  Silicon dioxide

Also known as silica or industrial sand, silicon dioxide is used to make glass, optical fibers and cement. The fast food industry often adds it to meat and sauces to keep them from clumping together. In an industrial setting, workers handling silicon dioxide wear hazmat suits and masks. Nonetheless, the FDA sees no harm in adding this industrial chemical to your burger bun.

Still lovin’ it? Next time you are looking for a quick meal, you may want to think twice before heading to the closet McDonald’s restaurant.

Sources:

RealFarmacy.com

RealFarmacy.com

Gallup.com

Top10GrocerySecrets.com

DavidWolfe.com

LiveScience.com

Long-term storable foods are one of the preparation items you should be considering and buying. After all, in a situation where society is breaking down (like in Venezuela), the normal food supply chains for grocery stores and food warehouses is going to break down as well. And when it does, whatever food supply the local stores have will be bought up (or stolen outright) within 1-2 hours.

But the fact is, not all storable foods are made equally. In fact, most name brands are full of not so savory ingredients that might surprise you.

For the past few months Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, author of the best-selling science book “Food Forensics,” bought and tested most of the brand-name storable foods at CWC Labs, where he is also the science director.

What he discovered was incredibly shocking. He discovered that most name brands are packed with GMOs, hidden forms of MSG, corn syrup derivatives, chemical flavor enhancers and ingredients that are saturated with pesticides and herbicides.

Introducing the new gold standard in storable foods

WISE Foods… Mountain House… Augason Farms… Legacy Food Storage… These are some of the most popular storable food brands on the market today. And they are loaded with chemicals and ingredients that, quite frankly, can do you more harm than good in the long run, when it comes to nutrition vital to staying healthy.

In fact, the Top 10 worst ingredients found in brand-new storable foods are:

— Corn Syrup Solids
— Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
— Textured Vegetable Protein
— Carrageenan
— Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
— Sodium Caseinate
— Maltodextrin
— Modified Corn Starch
— Disodium Inosinate

In his testing at CWC Labs, Adams even discovered that WISE Foods are jam-packed with disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate – both of which are chemical food additives found in junk food products like potato chips and instant noodles.

Thankfully, there is a better alternative.

The Health Ranger is introducing the Organic Family Pack from Numanna, a healthy collection of storable foods that he co-formulated and lab-verified for cleanliness and purity.

Upon the realization that the storable foods industry just did not carry brands that offered nutritious and delicious foods that he dared to put in his body, Adams decided that he would simply create his own line of meals utilizing 95 percent organic ingredients and NO garbage.

Meals that are both tasty AND nutritious

Synthetic, genetically modified foods using ingredients you’d find in junk foods is no way to provide yourself with the kinds of vitamins, protein and nutrients you need to stay in tip-top shape, both mentally and physically, in order to handle the coming emergency situation. The Organic Family Pack from Numanna contains no GMOs, no artificial colors or flavors, no hidden MSG, no corn syrup and no chemical preservatives.

And honestly the food is delicious.

“This is what I’m stocking up on right now. There isn’t a cleaner, more honest and more health-promoting storable food product in the world,” Adams said. “I co-developed the Numanna Organic Family Pack to be extremely nutritious and as close to 100% chemical free as you can get in today’s world. Even the macaroni is blended with organic flax seed for added flax lignans and omega-3s. Every ingredient is scrutinized, tested and approved. This is the new gold standard for storable food, and it makes all other emergency food products totally OBSOLETE as of right now.”

To order your Organic Family Pack from Numanna now, click here.

Consider this: one century ago, you couldn’t find anyone allergic to peanuts, but now it’s commonplace for parents to send EpiPens to school for the teacher and nurse to keep near to their children, just in case someone so much as opens a snack in the room that contains peanuts, or even if someone opens a food product that was so much as manufactured in “a facility that processes peanuts.” What’s wrong with the human body that it would go into anaphylactic shock from a seemingly harmless food ingredient that couldn’t harm a soul a hundred years ago? Today, peanuts cause the most common severe food allergy reactions, and are the number one cause of death from food reactions, and for good reason: Peanut oil was never meant to be put in a syringe and injected into muscle tissue.

Peanut oil is a non-stated, hidden ingredient in children’s vaccines

Back in 2010, one family had their 6-month-old child taken away from them and were accused in court of shaken baby syndrome, until their attorney presented corroborating medical information about the child’s anaphylactic reaction and swelling around the baby boy’s brain (subdural hemorrhages) that occurred as an immediate response to vaccinations.

Which vaccines were those, you may be wondering? DTaP, Prevnar7 (pneumococcal) and Rotateq (Rotavirus vaccine). Guess what? The administered vaccines contained unlabeled peanut oil, which was used as an adjuvant, but was not listed on the vaccine inserts. The doctor basically proved to the court that the child’s allergic reaction to having peanut oil injected by vaccine had caused the massive brain swelling reaction that sent the boy into shock.

False medical theory: The stronger the allergic reaction to vaccine ingredients, the longer the immunity lasts

In the mid-1960s, peanut oils were first introduced into vaccines because scientists hypothesized they could “prolong” immunity. Somehow, they thought, the oil would act as a time release capsule. Within 20 years, peanut oil was the preferred “excipient” – meaning a substance formulated alongside the active ingredient of a medication for the purpose of long-term stabilization. The dangers of its use, however, were well-documented. The problem? Doctors and scientists had lumped immune response with immunity, making a grave mistake that’s still assumed to be true today. The myth is that the greater the allergic response to the vaccine, the greater the immunity that is conferred. Wrong! Today, anyone who challenges this myth is referred to as anti-science, anti-vaccine and a conspiracy theorist. There is no faster way for a doctor to lose their license to practice medicine than to challenge this commandment of vaccine mythology.

1980 to 2016: Correlating the massive surge in severe childhood allergies

When did these childhood allergies experience a massive upsurge in number? Answer: When the mandated schedule of the number and frequency of vaccines for children under age 7 doubled, and then tripled. Take a look:

1980 – 20 vaccines
1995 – 40 vaccines
2016 – 70 vaccines

What’s the easiest way to send a child’s body into anaphylactic shock and create severe food allergies for the rest of his/her life? Inject intact proteins from peanuts, eggs and dairy (casein) products directly into the infant’s muscle tissue 36 times before the age of 18 months. When normal food becomes extremely toxic to children, the parents should review how those specific ingredients have been introduced to their infant’s bodies, and what other dangerous “trace amounts” of carcinogens, antibiotics, adjuvants, emulsifiers, preservatives, additives, brewing agents, carriers and “immune response stimulants” are being injected into the body repeatedly for no logical reason. Vaccines have never been proven safe or effective; only studies done by the manufacturers themselves, which have subsequently been proven fraudulent, altered and skewed, are published in order to fool the public.

Do you really know what’s in most vaccines? Have you ever read the ingredients, warnings, reactions and the documented side effects on a vaccine insert? Here is a summary of the most dangerous vaccine ingredients, for your convenience:

1. Bovine cow serum: Extracted from cow skin. When injected causes connective tissue disorders, arthritis and lupus; also shortness of breath, low blood pressure, chest pain and skin reactions.

2. Sorbitol: Synthetic sweetener which metabolizes very slowly and aggravates IBS and gastrointestinal issues.

3. Hydrolyzed gelatin: Derived from the collagen inside animals’ skin and bones. Injecting gelatin poses the risk of infection from synthetic growth hormones and BSE infectivity (mad cow disease).

4. Sodium chloride: Raises blood pressure and inhibits muscle contraction and growth.

5. Egg protein: Vaccines are prepared in eggs (certainly not organic). May contain growth hormones, antibiotics, and salmonella bacteria.

6. Casein: Also known as cow’s milk protein, many children experience severe allergic and life-threatening reactions to traces of casein, commonly found in the DTaP vaccine.

7. Thimerosal: A neurotoxic mercury which causes autism: There are 25 mcg in one average flu vaccine, and the EPA safety limit is 5 micrograms, so children who are vaccinated simultaneously with multiple vaccines receive over 10 times the safety limit of mercury in one day.

8. Human albumin: The protein portion of blood from pooled human venous plasma; when injected causes fever, chills, hives, rash, headache, nausea, breathing difficulty, and rapid heart rate.

9. Formaldehyde: Highly carcinogenic fluid used to embalm corpses. Ranked one of the most hazardous compounds to human health; can cause liver damage, gastrointestinal issues, reproductive deformation, respiratory distress and cancer.

Peanut oil? Enough said!

Sources for this article include:

TheDoctorWithin.com

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

VacTruth.com

TruthWiki.org

Reuters.com

NoVaccine.com

NoVaccine.com

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

Community.BabyCenter.com

Unless a food or supplement is produced on its own dedicated equipment, it more than likely contains trace amounts of ingredients not indicated on its label, hence the need for such a disclaimer. But researchers from Germany may have discovered a scientific breakthrough capable of removing these hidden allergens during processing, or at least neutralizing them so consumers aren’t placed in harm’s way.

Dubbed the “LowAllergen Project,” the effort by scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) involves developing stronger sensory technologies for identifying allergens, as well as tools capable of detecting and reducing them in foods and supplements. In cooperation with Leipzig University Hospital, the goal is to address proteins in particular, which are what trigger allergic reactions in the first place.

“To date there are no food products, except for baby food, that are hypoallergenic and contain few allergens,” says Dr. Michael Szardenings, a group manager at IZI leading the project. “The production of such products is very complex. One reason for this is that although the allergenic components of food ingredients can generally be detected, to date, it is not possible to determine their specific allergenicity.”

Allergies can be minimized if properly addressed during food production

The way an allergic reaction goes is something like this: Proteins that don’t get enzymatically broken down or that the body decides to attack as a foreign invader enter the blood, spurring the production of antibodies. These antibodies go on the attack against the rogue proteins, creating inflammation and what many people who suffer from it quickly recognize as an allergic reaction.

Generally speaking, identifying these allergens – and more specifically, their precise modalities of allergenicity – is a crude practice. At the current time, there simply aren’t effective ways to pinpoint all the molecular sections of allergens in order to disengage them, something that researchers at IZI hope to overcome as they develop novel methods of eliminating the hidden ingredients in food that are harming people with allergies.

“The human body can develop antibodies against all kinds of foreign substances,” Dr. Szardenings adds. “According to our findings, in the case of soy, this occurs in more places in the allergenic proteins than expected. Antibodies activated in a person with an allergy are directed against specific molecular sections of the allergens. Patients react to these molecular sections, known as epitopes. We were able to identify 374 allergy-relevant epitopes.”

In the case of soy, the team was able to modify its protein isolates in such a way as to make them less allergenic. Using a variety of methods, including heat, plasma, pulsed ultraviolet (UV) light, gamma radiation and high pressure, as well as chemical, enzymatic and fermentative processes, they found that alterations are possible that make allergens in food less allergenic.

“We have already filed a patent application for the production of hypoallergenic protein preparations,” says Dr. Peter Eisner, a scientist at Fraunhofer IVV and project coordinator.

Besides allergens, there are all sorts of other contaminants hiding in food that many people are unaware of. Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, dives deep into this subject in his new book Food Forensics, which sheds new and important light on the presence of not only allergens in food, but also heavy metals, crop chemicals and other toxins.

Sources for this article include:

Phys.org

NewFoodMagazine.com

Fish, omega-3s and selenium

The first thing to note, is that the Japanese diet is richer in fish, which contain a vital mineral called selenium. In America, essential minerals such as selenium are disappearing from the soils, because chemically intense, over-farming agricultural practices are concerned with yields and profit and not wholesome crops that nourish people’s bodies. Organic farming practices, soil amending, composting, crop rotation and ending the use of heavy metal, prescription drug-rich biosolids could all help solve the problem, but it may be too late. As Americans starve for the very components that build their immune systems, the Japanese have an advantage built right into their own lifestyle. Fish are also a good source of B vitamins, which maintain brain chemistry to help with one’s temperament, mood and peaceful, stable, cognitive processing.

Generally the Japanese are smarter because their fish-friendly diet also provides them with plentiful omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the brain and heart, while reducing inflammation in the body. Inflammation is very often an underlying factor initiating disease processes in the body. Anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids are key in the prevention of all chronic diseases, particularly heart disease and Alzheimer’s, since these are directly linked to inflammatory markers.

Isoflavones for healthy menopause and osteoporosis prevention

The Western diet is hostile to women’s health, because food chemicals disturb female hormones during their menstrual cycles and during menopause, a crucial time of their lives. In Japan, many dishes contain fermented miso and umami paste, tempeh and natto. These fermented soy foods are full of isoflavones, which have a subtle, supplemental estrogen-like effect in the body. These plant-based estrogens help women during menopause, and help lower the risk of breast and endometrial cancer thereafter. Isoflavones also help with bone density, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Since they are fermented, these traditional Japanese foods are much easier to assimilate in the body, making essentials like vitamin K2 more bio-available.

Mineral dense seaweeds

The Japanese culture is keener on eating seaweeds, which are mineral dense superfoods that provide an array of trace and other minerals including zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iodine. Again, the trace minerals that the Japanese obtain in seaweed are the minerals that are now missing in the soils, the fruits and the vegetables grown in the Western world. Minerals are the spark plugs of life, and activate the body’s ability to use vitamins. The immune system relies largely on mineral bio-availability. Many of the “vaccine-preventable” illnesses that send people to the emergency room are really “mineral-preventable” illnesses.

Green tea and antioxidants

As the Western diet moves further away from the very components that sustain life, cancer becomes a problem. In Japanese culture, antioxidant rich plants are consumed more commonly. One of Japan’s favorites is green tea, which contains a specific type of plant medicine called catechins. These catechins are a specific type of flavanol that boost the antioxidant defenses in the body. This is how the Japanese defeat cancer on a regular basis; they consume green tea, flooding the cells with preventative antioxidants. Additionally, matcha green tea contains theanine, which relaxes the mind and reduces stress.

Fermented vegetables for probiotics and digestive support

One of the key components of the Japanese diet is fermented, pickled vegetables. These foods help establish the good terrain of probiotics in the gut. The Japanese people have a more diverse, stable terrain of good bacteria in their digestive systems, which allows their bodies to use nutrients more effectively. These probiotic-rich foods are the reason why autoimmune diseases are few and far between in their culture. Fermented vegetables also help the body digest and eliminate wastes more effectively so that it isn’t systematically poisoned by toxic byproducts. Most Japanese dishes available at U.S. grocery stores have been pasteurized; this kills off the good bacteria that are essential in these foods. Nutritionists suggest making fermented dishes at home, the way the Japanese do.

The health issues that plague people living on the Western diet are directly linked to the nasty foods they eat. Japanese foods are superior to those in the Western diet, because their dishes are more probiotic rich, with greater quantities of trace minerals, antioxidants, isoflavones and medicinal phytochemicals.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

SelfReliantSchool.com

(Article by Joel B. Pollak, republished from Breitbart.com)

Wilmar provides palm oil to Kellogg’s and other producers of consumer goods.

The report states:

Amnesty International found serious human rights abuses on the plantations of Wilmar and its suppliers. These included forced labour and child labour, gender discrimination, as well as exploitative and dangerous working practices that put the health of workers at risk.

To document the use of child labor, Amnesty International interviewed workers, including several children. It concludes:

Some children started working from the age of eight years onwards and all were below 15 years of age. Most of the children help their parents in the afternoons, after attending school, and on weekends and holidays. However, some children have dropped out of schools and work for all or most of the day. Children carry heavy loads, as they have to carry sacks of loose fruits and some transport wheelbarrows full of heavy palm fruit bunches over uneven terrain and narrow bridges. They run the risk of injuries from repetitive movements, carrying heavy loads and from working in an environmental where they are exposed to chemicals.

The company did not deny that children had been seen at work, but said that it discouraged the practice. Amnesty International describes that response as insufficient, and says the company may be breaking the law.

In addition, Amnesty International found evidence of forced labor — specifically involving women: “Amnesty International documented cases of foremen threatening women workers in plant maintenance units with not being paid or having their pay deducted in order to exact work from them.” It also reports that some of Wilmar’s subsidiaries do not pay workers a daily minimum wage if they fail to meet their harvesting quotas.

Amnesty International points the finger directly at Kellogg’s, among other companies, saying that it is “sourcing palm oil from refineries where the palm oil has been directly supplied or, at the very least, been mixed with palm oil produced on plantations where there are severe labour rights abuses.” The organization reports that neither Kellogg’s nor any of the other companies had done enough due diligence to determine that child labor was being used in their supply chain.

Kellogg’s specifically declined to take any action until next year, partly because it never studied labor practices at Wilmar:

Kellogg’s referred to using an audit program to review its suppliers’ facilities in high-risk categories or high-risk regions. However, the company revealed that both palm oil and Wilmar will only be assessed in 2017 as part of its Global Supplier Code of Conduct. This indicates that to date no human rights due diligence has been conducted on Wilmar.

The company’s response to Amnesty International is included on the organization’s website. In it, Kellogg’s says that it respects human rights and only uses palm oil from Wilmar in Pringles sold in China. Kellogg’s purchased Pringles from Procter & Gamble in 2012, and Wilmar has been an essential partner for Kellogg’s in China.

The Pringles brand is essential to Kellogg’s overall growth and profitability. In its most recent quarterly report, Kellogg’s states that Pringles sales in the Asia/Pacific market “continued to grow at a double-digit rate,” despite decreased sales of other Kellogg’s products elsewhere.

Amnesty urges consumers to be informed about Kellogg’s products that may use palm oil from child labor sources:

Kellogg’s uses palm oil in products like CrunchyNut clusters, Pop Tarts and Nutri-Grain. However it denied that the palm oil in these products comes from Wilmar.

Kellogg’s confirmed that Pringles in China are made using palm oil from Wilmar and from a refinery linked to the plantations Amnesty International investigated. Chinese Pringles are made by a joint Kellogg’s-Wilmar joint venture.

The organization also urges consumers to spread awareness. “CALL ON KELLOGG’S TO STOP CHILD LABOUR IN PALM OIL,” the website says, urging supporters to “Tweet this now!“: “I don’t want my favourite brands to use #palmoil that supports child labour. @KelloggsUS will you protect workers in Indonesia?”

The Amnesty International report also urges Kellogg’s “immediately” to exercise proper due diligence; to pressure Wilmar to stop using child labor and other exploitative practices; and to compensate the victims, among other actions.

Peter Frankental, Amnesty International’s business and human rights programme director, told the UK Independent:

“You can be sure that if one of these companies’ products were contaminated and had to be taken off the shelves of supermarkets, they would ensure that they could trace the source to specific plantations.

“The brutal truth is that human rights abuse in the supply chain is not viewed as a quality control issue, but it should be. Products containing human rights abuses should be viewed as defective.”

In an official response to the report, as reported by Canada’s National Post, Wilmar stated: “We acknowledge that there are ongoing labor issues in the palm oil industry, and these issues could affect any palm company operating in Indonesia.”

Read more at: Breitbart.com

Fast food is surely not nutritionally sound (far from it), but there are many other secret ingredients lurking in those meat-shaped patties, and most of them are hidden because people would not eat the food if they knew what was actually in it.

MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a perfect example of this. While there are many people who will concede that MSG is harmful to some people, they insist that it is not harmful to the majority. But, as Food Renegade discusses, it is a cumulative compound, which means it can build up in your body over time. Even if you aren’t sensitive to it now, if you consume it regularly, eventually you will be. MSG is associated with a lot of side effects, including headaches. In fact, research has shown that it can even cause brain damage and lead to neurological disorders.

No one uses that stuff anymore though, right? Wrong. In fact, nearly every item on the KFC menu contains MSG, except for desserts and drinks. It is not uncommon for MSG to even be used in salads in the fast food industry. In addition, MSG has a host of alternative names that we should all be on the lookout for, including “yeast extract” and “hydrolized soy protein.”

High fructose corn syrup is another star of fast food and convenience items alike. While many people associate this ingredient with sweets like sodas and apple pies, HFCS is also added to salad dressings and other items. Despite claims that HFCS is “just like regular sugar,” evidence indicates that this is not true. As Natural News reports, “[T]his substance does not stimulate insulin secretion or reduce the hunger hormone ghrelin, people continue to eat while the body converts what they consume into fat.”

As a result of the growing concerns about HFCS, many manufacturers have taken to renaming HFCS with more innocent-sounding terms, such as “corn sugar.”

Another of the toxic ingredients hiding in your favorite fast food items is dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent with a variety of uses that are not at all food-related. For example, dimethylpolysiloxane is used in caulk, sealants and Silly Putty. It’s also featured in multiple items from McDonald’s, KFC and Wendy’s.

Of course, this just the beginning. There are many other harmful additives in fast foods. Sodium benzoate, sodium aluminum phosphate and acrylamide are just a few of the things you can find in your favorite takeaway meals. Next time you think you want a cheeseburger, do yourself a favor and make it yourself.

Sources:

NaturalNews.com

FoodRenegade.com

Top10GrocerySecrets.com

Olestra, for example, has been banned in the United Kingdom and in Canada. Olestra is commonly used in reduced-fat or fat-free foodstuffs, and is known to cause gastrointestinal distress.

Another banned food additive is brominated vegetable oil (BVO). It can be found in a variety of soft drinks and other beverages. BVO is one of many organobromines – substances commonly used in flame retardants. There are many concerns over BVO’s potential to build up in fatty tissue, given the tendency of organobromines to accumulate and affect development in other creatures, including birds.  In 2012,  German researchers revealed that several American soft drinks contained BVO in amounts of around eight parts per million. The researchers calculated that consumers were taking in thousands of times more BVO from soft drinks than other sources, even more than from flame retardants that leak into the environment. BVO has been banned in more than 100 countries.

Dairy products that are laced with rBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone, are also blacklisted in many other countries. Because of its ability to increase milk production, rBGH is one of the top-selling dairy animal drugs in the United States. It has been banned in Australia, the EU, New Zealand, Canada and Israel due to its potential to harm humans. Some of the health risks include breast cancer, colorectal cancers and prostate cancer. The use of rBGH can also harm cattle, and is linked to at least 16 adverse health conditions, including mastitis.

Ractopamine is an ingredient you may or may not have heard about before, but it is used to reduce the overall fat content of meat, and can be found in 45 percent of pigs and 30 percent of ration-fed cattle in the U.S. An unknown percentage of turkeys are also injected with ractopamine. Eat Local Grown reports that around 20 percent of the ractopamine injected into these animals will still be present in the meat you buy at the supermarket. Since 1998, over 1,700 people have been poisoned from eating pigs that were fed the drug. Ractopamine is banned in more than 160 countries, but in the U.S. meat is not even tested for its presence. Russia has gone so far as to ban the importation of meat from the U.S. until our nation agrees to certify that our meat does not contain this toxic drug.

There are many other toxic ingredients that can be found in everyday foods, especially prepackaged and processed foods. Your best bet for obtaining good health and optimal nutrition is to buy organic produce, locally-raised, grass-fed meats and wild-caught fish.

Sources:

NaturalNews.com

TheGuardian.com

EatLocalGrown.com

Science.NaturalNews.com