2024-10-09 08:00:00
Candy that contains titanium dioxide, chocolate milk that contains allura red: these are examples of food additives authorized in Canada, but often banned elsewhere in the world.
Food additives are chemical substances that have different functions. They offer a better texture, a longer shelf life, a good taste, or even a beautiful color which will make the product appetizing.
Health Canada regulates what can and cannot be added to processed products. Nearly 500 food additives are authorized in the country.
If certain additives are harmless to health, such as citric acid, which is neither more nor less than lemon juice, others, such as nitrites, preservatives found in cold meats, for example, are singled out for the risks associated with different diseases, such as cancer.
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The report by Andrée Langlois presented on the show L’écoli
It can be worrying for the consumer to see, in the list of ingredients of a product, a food additive that is banned in another country.
For example, titanium dioxide is banned throughout the European Union, but it is permitted in Canada. This product is added to foods, especially for the aesthetic aspect, for the eye of the consumer. It is found in candies, gummies, pastries, ice cream and other products.
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Processed products can contain many food additives.
Photo: Radio-Canada / The grocery store
At the toxicology laboratory of the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ), specialized scientific advisor Ciprian Mihai Cirtiu is studying this additive.
It is legitimate to ask questions about certain additives, but especially about titanium dioxide, which has been used for a very long time as a food additive, he maintains.
It is a mineral compound found in nature. It is added to foods in the form of a white powder. Its main role is to improve coloring. It is mainly used as a whitening agent, explains Mr. Cirtiu.
He specifies that it is in the form of nanoparticles that titanium dioxide can be problematic. This raises questions because some nanoparticles have been shown to have high toxicity and therefore can cause diseases like cancer and have interactions with the body.
We do not know in what form titanium dioxide is found in food and we also have no proof of toxicity, as the researcher explains to us. Studies have not demonstrated toxicity when ingesting titanium dioxide, but have not proven its safety either. There is this ambiguity, this doubt that persists, says Mr. Cirtiu.
There is a lack of studies and characterization of this form of nanoparticle. We cannot precisely say yes, it is toxic, or no, it is not toxic. And this is why the population is worried, asking questions, and so are researchers.
A quote from Ciprian Mihai Cirtiu, specialized scientific advisor at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ)
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Ciprian Mihai Cirtiu of ‘Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)
Photo: Radio-Canada / The grocery store
If we ingest nanoparticles through food, continues the researcher, that does not mean that we necessarily absorb them. In fact, the bioavailability of these nanoparticles is very low. This is what is reassuring when ingested through oral exposure.
According to the scientific advisor specializing in toxicology at the INSPQ Mathieu Valcke, the different regulatory bodies of the countries may therefore have opposing approaches.
For some, more proof is needed to remove the additive, while others think differently. According to the latter, as long as we have not proven that the product is safe, even if we do not have excessive reason to believe that it is not, we do not allow it on the market. These are different ways of handling blur. Managing what we do while waiting to have all the evidence and which allows several approaches, concludes Mr. Valcke.
We would very much like to say that it is dangerous or that it is not! But the reality is that, often, the scientific data available does not allow us to make such a clear categorization. We are often in the dark and therefore we have to make decisions in light of the vagueness, which is not always easy.
A quote from Mathieu Valcke, scientific advisor specializing in toxicology at the INSPQ
Canada is part of an international committee of experts from 185 countries studying the toxicity of food additives. All countries consult the same studies to decide whether or not to authorize an additive.
Canada is independent in its decisions and analyzes the additive in the Canadian context, explains Sylvie Turgeon, full professor of food sciences at Laval University. That is to say for which foods the manufacturers’ requests are made, in which foods the product will be authorized, in what concentrations, what will be the admissible daily dose. All this data may vary from one country to another and lead to different regulations.
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Some candies contain titanium dioxide, an additive banned throughout the European Union but permitted in Canada.
Photo : Getty Images
In the example of titanium dioxide, Ms. Turgeon specifies that the European agency had included studies carried out on non-food uses where the particles were very small (nanoparticles) and had caused genotoxicity.
More recent studies have shown that this is not a problem, so on this basis, titanium dioxide is permitted in Canada.
Allura red coloring is banned in Belgium and Germany, among others, although it is found here in chocolate milk, for example.
The coloring, in this case, serves the appearance of the product in order to standardize the color so that the consumer finds that the chocolate milk is dark enough. It is allowed to use a coloring in this type of product, it is authorized, Professor Sylvie Turgeon tells us.
She adds that if allura red is permitted, it is because Health Canada has assessed that a person can consume all the products containing it without exceeding the admissible daily dose, that is, the dose which ensures that they do not will not have any harmful effects on her health, even if she consumed this product all her life, assures Ms. Turgeon.
A process that is closely linked to the evolution of science.
We are always somewhat at the mercy of the state of scientific knowledge. What we say today [ c’est qu’] it is possible that, in a few years, there will be new data coming out and that it will ultimately be withdrawn.
A quote from Mathieu Valcke, scientific advisor specializing in toxicology at the INSPQ
It is an evolving system that follows science, but also the decisions of other countries. A recent example is brominated vegetable oil, an emulsifier found in some soft drinks, among others. It is an additive which allows the ingredients to be mixed well and which gives opacity.
The state of California has banned this oil, as have Australia and the United Kingdom. New studies raised doubt about the health risk.
There have been studies in other countries that have questioned the use, and Health Canada has reopened the file, confirms Ms. Turgeon. This new animal study showed that at high doses, there were impacts on the animals’ liver and heart. Health Canada has therefore decided to remove brominated vegetable oil from the list of authorized additives.
The studies did not allow us to be very precise on the daily dose that could be used in food, so Health Canada recommended the withdrawal of this additive, explains Sylvie Turgeon.
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Sylvie Turgeon, full professor in food sciences at Laval University.
Photo: Radio-Canada / The grocery store
As a precaution, if we want to avoid additives, we return to the basic principle, that is, consume as little processed food as possible., tells us researcher Benoît Lamarche. According to studies, almost 50% of our calories come from processed foods.
We know that consuming too much salt, sugar and fat increases the risk of disease. That’s proven! exclaims the researcher. Ultraprocessed foods are the main source of these nutrients [sel, sucre gras] in food in Canada and the additives come with it! So, what is the role of additives specifically on the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, independently of nutrients? We don’t have an answer to this question yet.
Even if he does not think that we will be able to ban additives tomorrow morning, according to him it is possible to regulate them further.
We can perhaps help reformulate foods, add fewer additives, less sugar, salt and all that. In terms of regulations, there are things we can do about this.
A quote from Benoît Lamarche, scientific director of the NUTRISS Center, Laval University
For their part, Ms. Turgeon and Mr. Cirtiu question themselves. If we want fewer additives, will the consumer be ready to make certain compromises, such as having cakes that are less soft, breads that will keep less long?
Do we really want to have very appetizing and attractive products? continues Mr. Cirtiu. Because at the end of the day, that’s why we add the titanium dioxide, to make the product more vibrant. As a consumer, are we ready to make this compromise? On the industry side too, we must question ourselves. Is it really necessary to add more? We have to ask ourselves the question.
The consumer has influence and can change the practices of manufacturers, according to Professor Sylvie Turgeon, who gives the example of sweets. Smarties, whose artificial colors have been changed with natural dyes based on turmeric, beetroot, etc.
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Ultra-processed products often contain many additives.
Photo: Radio-Canada / The grocery store
The company understood that consumers were concerned about their children and that the product needed to be improved. All dyes are now natural. So the consumer has a very important weight.
A quote from Sylvie Turgeon, full professor of food sciences at Laval University
For Benoît Lamarche, if it is true that we must be concerned about additives and continue to study them, there is more to be done for health.
We must not forget the overall picture: we do not consume enough vegetables and fruits, and this lack is the number one risk factor for disease on the planet! Whole grains are the second factor… These are the big risk factors! We must not lose sight of this, concludes the researcher.
The report by journalist Andrée Langlois is presented on the show The grocery store Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (EDT) and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on ICI Télé. And Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on ICI RDI.
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