Podcast: Banned in Europe? Here’s how and why the US is more relaxed in its approvals of chemical additives in food

“How is America allowed to feed us certain products that are harmful and banned in other countries?” [Vox reader, Sommer] asked us. “Don’t you all care about us?” That’s the subject of this week’s episode of Explain It to Me.…

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European countries take a much more precautionary approach to additives in their food, Benesh says. “If there are doubts about whether a chemical is safe or if there’s no data to back up safety, the EU is much more likely to put a restriction….

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In the US, we’re more likely to see action at the state level. California banned four chemicals in 2023 … But federal oversight has been limited, constrained by priorities, authority, and by a lack of resources.