food additives

The Food and Drug Administration moved to ban the use of brominated vegetable oil in food on Thursday, saying new tests proved conclusively that it was not safe. The agency acted a month after California outlawed BVO, along with three other food additives: potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye No. 3.

In the more than two years since Subway was called out by a blogger for using azodicarbonamide, a chemical found in yoga mats and other non-food items, to make its bread dough lighter and stronger, a slew of fast-food chains have followed Subway’s lead and removed the chemical—but unlike Subway they’ve done it quietly, with little or no publicity, says Bloomberg.

Some brands of Parmesan cheese sold in U.S. grocery stores contain unexpectedly large amounts of cellulose, reports Bloomberg, which hired an independent laboratory to test samples of the popular grated cheese.

In response to a petition by environmental and consumer groups, the FDA said it will consider whether to ban seven food additives, including styrene, because they could cause cancer.

The Environmental Working Group said its newly released report, "EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives," shows the need for better government oversight of the food system.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade group for foodmakers, "will give the Food and Drug Administration access to a large database of safety information for chemicals used in processed foods, from Twinkies to almond milk," says Politico.