CloseGRAS.com
Marci Kenon
Founder & CEO
Becoming a food justice activist was not on my bingo card-ever!” says Marci Kenon, fitness trainer/lifestyle coach-turned
environmental health educator/food justice activist after reading about the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) loophole in “Fiber Fueled,” the NYT’s bestseller written by famed gastroenterologist Dr. Will Bulsiewicz.
GRAS is an FDA-sanctioned loophole that has permitted food companies to flood the American food supply with 10,000+ additives over decades. “Numerous food additives have already been shown to damage the gut microbiota, while more than 99 percent of them haven’t been studied,” Bulsiewicz claims in “Fiber Fueled.”
“It was a very bad idea to give the food companies, which should be regulated by the FDA, the authority to decide which additives are safe to use in our food supply,” Marci laments. “The FDA relinquishing such a key oversight for decades has led to incalculable poor health outcomes for us.”
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) currently make up nearly 60% of what the typical adult eats, and nearly 70% of what kids eat.
Most of these additives are used to create nutrient-poor substances that are causing health issues like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and some cancers.
It is estimated that 1,000 additives used liberally in UFPs and beverages sold in the U.S. are deemed too toxic for human consumption and banned in other countries.
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO), an additive used in citrus drinks like Mountain Dew, Gatorade Orange, Strawberry Powerade, Fanta, and Dr. Pepper, has finally been banned by the FDA. This ban on BVO kicks in August 2, 2024, after California banned it along with three other toxic food additives in 2023 and New York State put BVO on its proposed ban of seven additives.
BVO health concerns include:
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Thyroid damage
BVO can interfere with thyroid function, which can lead to hypothyroidism, weight gain, and depression. -
Nervous system damage
Bromine can accumulate in the body and damage the central nervous system, causing headaches, nausea, and other symptoms. -
Other health issues
Animal studies have linked BVO to heart and liver problems, impaired growth, behavioral development, and the transfer of BVO from mother to nursing infant. -
Environmental impact
BVO production and disposal can have an environmental toll.
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Americans are rightfully expressing tremendous concern on social media about the challenge of having access to safe, healthy, and affordable foods.
It is the mission of the Close GRAS Movement to fight for access to safe and healthy foods by educating, empowering, and enlisting concerned citizens to take action that includes supporting the local, state and federal legislation that aims to ban toxic food additives and to transfer the authority to decide what additives are safe to put in our food supply from the food industry to the FDA and other regulatory agencies.
Additionally, we collaborate with individuals and organizations to provide resources, accountability, and support for healthful living that focuses on minimizing everyday toxins, proper nutrition, exercise, hydration, sunshine/vitamin D, healthy habits development, fresh air, rest/adequate sleep, and spiritual time in prayer and meditation to reduce inflammation-inducing stress.