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Do you know that you consume a chemical called TBHQ every single day?
It is added to all the oils and fats that you buy and use to cook your food.
Do you know why you don’t know this, and you are hearing it for the first time from me? Because the edible oil companies are not required to disclose this ingredient on their labels.
I wanted to ensure that the coconut oil I consume is free of TBHQ. So I bought a few brands that were advertised as “organic and free of all additives” or “all natural and totally additive free” etc. I got them tested at a lab in Mumbai. All of them had TBHQ.
So this is about two different problems.
One is the labelling laws. There are a whole lot of chemicals in the food items we buy which are exempt from the requirement to mention them on the ingredients label. We do not know what they are, or what they do to us, and cannot avoid them even if we wish to, because there is no way to know.
The second is the lax regulation where FSSAI approved products are able to get away with false statements on the label. “Nothing added” should not mean that TBHQ is added!
The food regulations and law are evolving in India and changing rapidly. The government is trying to get this right. This is a golden opportunity for the Indian Government to establish best practices for the whole world to follow.
Make labelling mandatory for all additives. No exemptions.
Until then, let’s hope you are not one of those people who is adversely affected by TBHQ. Some chronic condition that you have or may develop in old age may be due to lifelong TBHQ consumption. It’s a pity that you will not know that and neither will your doctors.
Here Is A Link To The Article That Inspired This Post:
https://medium.com/s/story/stink-the-smell-of-toxicity-3fc61a7d9ec9