EXCLUSIVE: America's processed food problem exposed - from chips and TV dinners that have up to 120 additives to a SALAD with 50 ingredients
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Ultra-processed foods make up more than 70 percent of the US food supply
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These foods could increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, and cancer
At this point, most people know junk food is loaded with added sugar, saturated fat and salt, all of which are bad for us.
But many may be surprised to find out that some of their favorite indulgent treats have up to 120 ingredients.
DailyMail.com found chips, snack mixes, frozen pizza, and microwave meals were among the worst offenders. But even some salad kits had up to 50 additives, including mostly preservatives and added flavors.
Mountains of studies show eating too much ultra-processed food dramatically raises the risk of an early death, dementia, and heart disease. Experts say a good rule of thumb is to aim to eat for foods with no more than five ingredients.
Of hundreds of items analyzed by DailyMail.com, Munchies Flamin' Hot Flavored Snack Mix came out worst in terms of additives.
An eight-ounce bag - which contains Doritos, Cheetos, Sun Chips, and pretzels - has about 120 ingredients, including a slew of dyes like red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, and blue 1, some of which contain known cancer-causing compounds.
Additives like these are put into many processed foods to enhance their flavor, appearance or help keep them fresh.
Red 40 and the two Yellows have both been banned from food products in the UK because they contain benzidine, a human and animal carcinogen permitted in low doses.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, ingestion of free benzidine raises the cancer risk to just under the ‘concern’ threshold, or one cancer in 1 million people.
Some states, like California, have pushed to ban additives such as these, though they are largely permitted in the US.
While some of the ingredients in Munchies are recognizable, many sound more like scientific elements than food ingredients, such as maltodextrin, ammonium bicarbonate, and disodium guanylate.
While individual additives have not been extensively studied, eating too many has long been linked to chronic health conditions.
A 2022 study published in the journal Neurology found that a 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food consumption could raise the risk of dementia.
Additionally, a large cohort study in France would that the same increase in ultra-processed foods led to an increased risk of breast cancer.
A global comparative study published in Obesity Reviews showed that an increase in sales per capita of ultra-processed food and drink was associated with higher body mass index (BMI).
And a pair of studies from researchers in Spain and France found an association between consuming ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of early death.
The Munchies weren't the only food scoring in the triple digits.
A single-serve Totino's Party Pizza has about 100 ingredients, including the preservative BHA.
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