FAQs on Food Safety

Shortly before Thanksgiving 2015, the FDA granted final approval for thej sale of genetically modified salmon, making this very nutritious fish the first GMO animal the U.S. government has allowed on the market.   Although genetically modified plant products are ingredients in roughly 70% of processed American foods with no labeling required,  the EWG (Environmental Working Group) and other consumer advocacy groups are making more news by objecting (primarily through online campaigns) to the fact that, once GE salmon is in stores, consumers may have no way of telling the modified salmon from conventional salmon.  The argument is that we have a right to know the nature of the food we're buying and eating.  The underlying concern: fear that the product could be harmful to human health.

For the past 6 years, Shelf Life Advice has been posting information about BPA. That's when the chemical first came on the horizon as a health concern, says the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter. In case you've missed all the bad press BPA has gotten, here's a quick definition and review: BPA is a chemical compound (Bisphenol-A) that's been used to make a wide array of plastic products including bottles, silverware food packaging, most soup and beer can linings, store receipts, dental composites, eyeglass lenses, auto parts, and compact disks.  It works fine for all of these purposes, but it also has many people worry about possible harm to the human body. 

BPA has inspired fierce debate and a great deal of media attention, including two recent articles in Newsweek.  Here's the main question being debated: Is it harmful to humans, or is the amount we're exposed to so small that its presence is insignificant and/or is it excreted so rapidly that it's no threat to human health? At this time, it's still perfectly legal to use BPA in products that come in contact with foods, except for those consumed by infants.