Jun04
The Appalling Truth Of Why Europe is Banning American Apples
The food supply in American is in trouble. We not only have depleted soils but an estimated 70% of our foods now contain GMOs (genetically modified ingredients) with 75% of our meals being consumed outside the home. This country desperately needs a food culture revolution. The saddest part is that other countries are taking action against our food supply before we are.
According to an article entitled, “This is Why Europe Just Banned American Apples,” by Amanda Froelich,
“Most conventionally-grown (non-organic) apples in the United States are coated with a chemical called diphenylamine (DPA)? This chemical is often sprayed on apples after they have have been harvested to prevent what the industry calls ‘storage scald’, or brown spots. These natural spots occur from oxidation and the ripening process of the fruit, but when DPA is used, no blemishes may be detected for several months. (You don’t need us to tell you that is far from natural…)”
In 2008 the European Food Safety Authority became concerned with this chemical. Upon investigation it was reported that safety testing had deemed that DPA was safe in its original form. However, when it broke down nitrosamines, a family of carcinogenic compounds, were created. More specifically,
“Further investigation concluded that three unknown chemicals were present on DPA-treated apples. But because the EFSA didn’t know enough about the effects these chemicals might pose, they banned the use of DPA on apples in Europe. And in March, they cut the tolerable level of DPA allowed on imported apples to 0.1 parts per million."
American apples, by contrast, typically contain at least four times this amount. Some even contain up to 100 times that amount. This is why Europe would rather play it safe than sorry. For more information please read the full article here.
My take on this:
The difference between the American and European approach to food safety is that Europe practices the precautionary principle.
This states that,
“the introduction of a new product or process whose ultimate effects are disputed or unknown should be resisted.”
In other words, new products are guilty until proven innocent. In America, we do the opposite. Newfangled foods are innocent until proven guilty. Worse than that is the fact that the testing required to demonstrate their safety is often conducted by the very company who stands to profit from their sale. Why is America so casual about protecting the health of its consumers? It’s something I’ll never understand.
Europe is way ahead of us on this one. Even though our government isn’t actively practicing the precautionary principle, you still can. Do as the Europeans do, and make organic fruits and vegetables (especially apples!) a priority.
