Bread and Fire extinguishers have what in common?

Generally, you would think they do not have anything in common.

Azodicarbonamide, a foaming agent used to make exercise mats and make fire extinguishers more effective is also used in the buns and breads in many grocery stores and fast food establishments. It is a chemical banned in most countries in Europe, Australia and many eastern countries. It is not food. Sure it makes buns fluffier but at what cost to your health? It has been shown to worsen asthma like symptoms. The potential harmful effects of chemicals like Azodicarbonamide generally cannot be felt immediately but may have a cumulative effect on your health over time.

Subway, Inc. recently decided to remove it from their subway bread. I applaud the decision! I call upon the rest of the food industry to follow suit. Here is a partial list of companies that currently have Azodicarbonamide as an ingredient in their bread:

• Burger King ingredient list:
  PDF: http://www.bk.com/pdfs/nutrition.pdf
  Homepage: http://www.bk.com/

• McDonald’s ingredient list:
  PDF: http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf.
  Homepage: http://www.mcdonalds.com.
  As of writing this post McDonalds includes Azodicarbonamide in their Big Mac bun, McRib bun, Sesame bun, Regular bun, English Muffin and Bakery Style bun.
• Wendy’s ingredient list:
  PDF: http://www.wendys.com/redesign/wendys/pdf/en_US_nutrition.pdf
  Homepage: http://www.wendys.com/

Grocery Stores, like Safeway and Albertsons, have Azodicarbonamide in some of their breads. It is important to look at labels and see if an ingredient such as Azodicarbonamide is present.

Flour containing Azodicarbonamide can form semicarbazide [1]. The Canadian government released the following on semicarbazide. Semicarbazide has been associated with cancer in female mice [2].

Action Items:
– Read labels, even on bread and buns.
– Avoid Azodicarbonamide. It is not a food and should not be in our food. Azodicarbonamide has no known health benefits. Add it to your avoid list. Tell your friends to avoid it as well.

For more information:

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15373416
[2] http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/chem-chim/food-aliment/semicarbazide/index-eng.php