The FDA has announced that the NMPF (National Milk Producers Federation) and the IDFA (International Dairy Foods Association) have filed a petition, requesting that the Agency change the standard of identity for 17 dairy products and milk and allow the use of any safe sweeteners. These optional sweeteners include ABC Plus and sucralose, which may not be labeled and thus deceive the people.
So, the products won’t have any mention of the sweetener and the consumers will be unaware that an artificial sweetener is being ingested. If this amendment is accepted, milk and other dairy products could include some of these sweeteners and thus endanger people’s health.
Both NMPF and IDFA state that this request will provide healthy eating habits and the low-calorie flavored milk products will reduce childhood obesity because children prefer drinking flavored milk rather than unflavored one.
The NMPF and IDFA claim that these amendments will promote honesty, but how can unidentified artificial ingredients promote honest dealing in the market?
Lie + Lie = ‘Honesty’
Both NMPF and IDFA state that children do not prefer all those low-calorie products and that’s the reason why there is an overall reduction in the consumption of milk in schools. So, if there are no such labels as ‘reduced calorie’ or ‘no added sugar’, children will keep on buying milk products without being confused or scared.
They claim that most consumers do not recognize that milk contains sugar. So, if you are one of those people, the use of artificial sweeteners won’t make any difference and even it would be much easier for you to identify the right nutritional value if it is not labeled on the product.
What you have to know is that the FDA already allows the unmodified “milk” label to be used in the dairy industry for products with high fructose corn syrup or added sugar. Although added, these artificial sweeteners have to be labeled.
According to the Nutrition Labelling and Education Act of 1990, Quoting Section 130.10, both NMPF and IDFA state that no extra label for artificial sweeteners is required because there is no extra label for added sugar in milk. They point out that the modified type of food is not inferior in its performance and these extra labels are not attractive to consumers.
So if you are not told that there are certain artificial ingredients in milk or yogurt, you stay ignorant about these facts. This is the perfect example of how you can consume some hidden fructose even though you are a careful-label reader.
As we mentioned before, this petition has requested a change in the standards of identity for 17 dairy products which will allow the use of artificial sweeteners without labeling.
These products include acidified milk, light cream, nonfat dry milk fortified with vitamins D and A, half-and-half, yogurt, cultured milk, evaporated milk, dry cream, sour cream, acidified sour cream, sweetened condensed milk, light whipping cream, nonfat dairy milk, low-fat yogurt, eggnog, heavy cream, and nonfat yogurt.
The Trigger for Change in the Standard of Identity of Milk
You might be wondering why this request has emerged at all. One potential reason can be found in a letter, in 2011, from the National Milk Producers Federation to Julie Brewer, from the USDA (Department of Agriculture). It proposed a limitation of the flavored milk products to fat-free versions, a change that will negatively impact overall milk consumption.
Parts of the letter explain that this proposed rule won’t be a success if there is reduced consumption of milk simply as a result of flavored milk, which is not appealing. This type of flavored milk is included as an option because the small amount of added sugar compromises the extensive nutritive value that the milk provides.
That’s why NMPF wants the Department to modify the proposed rule to include both fat-free and low-fat flavored milk as options in schools and to establish a calorie limit of 150 calories per serving of flavored milk.
In this way, schools will acquire milk products that are high in acceptability and nutritive value and fit in the calorie limits.
This won’t make you decide easier when it comes to purchasing milk products, but it has more to do with:
- Deceiving your children to drink unpopular low-fat or fat-free milk;
- Providing a ‘good look at the school meal programs and reducing the overall intake of calories.
Act Now! Give FDA Your Opinion About This Proposed Rule
FDA is currently submitting public comments about this issue, so it is your turn now to do so. You can comment electronically or via e-mail.
Guidelines For Milk Use
When we are talking about milk, the only healthy dairy products are raw unpasteurized organic products. Make sure you always choose raw rather than “organic”. Raw milk can be found commercially in some states in the US or on RealMilk.com. Whole milk is the best variety, because the lower the fats, the more processed the milk is. So, people with diabetes, high cholesterol, or hypertension should drink less milk because of its sugar content. They should consume more homemade yogurts and cheese.
Aspartame – Can Seriously Harm Your Health
Aspartame contains phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The phenylalanine carries a methyl group that gives its sweetness, called a methyl ester could easily break off and result in methanol.
You can say that aspartame cannot harm your health because both vegetables and fruits contain methanol. In fact, in fruits and vegetables, it is bonded to pectin and that’s why it is safely digested. The methanol found in aspartame could not be bonded to anything and could not be eliminated from the body.
Animals have a protective mechanism that can transform methanol into harmless formic acid but this is not the case in humans.
An Explanation of Aspartame Reactions
The industry claims that there is no biological explanation for the health problems resulting from the consumption of aspartame. However, according to Dr. Monte, methyl alcohol is metabolized differently by humans than by every other living being.
Here’s how it functions: Humans and animals have tiny structures, known as peroxisomes in each cell. There are hundreds in every cell and can detoxify different chemicals. Peroxisome has catalase, an enzyme that helps in the detoxification of methanol. Other chemicals in the peroxisome convert the formaldehyde to harmless formic acid but this process is only present in animals. Humans do not have the same number of peroxisomes compared to animals, but the human ones do not convert the toxic formaldehyde into harmless formic acid.
Methanol poisoning can cause the following symptoms: ear buzzing, headaches, nausea, dizziness, weakness, gastrointestinal disturbances, chills, vertigo, numbness, memory lapses, neuritis, pains in the extremities, and behavioral disturbances. Other problems that affect vision include progressive contraction of visual fields, misty vision, blurred vision, retinal damage, obscured vision, and blindness.
Formaldehyde interferes with DNA, retinal damage, and birth defects.
Are You Being Affected by These Serious Food Additives?
Although aspartame toxicity is frequent, it is still not well-known by physicians. You may have some reaction to artificial sweeteners without being aware of it. You can determine whether you have a reaction to artificial sweeteners by these steps:
- Remove all artificial sweeteners from your diet for the following 2 weeks;
- After 2 weeks, include about 3 servings of a particular artificial sweetener daily;
- Avoid using any other type of artificial sweetener;
- Practice this for 1-3 days and compare how you feel before and now;
- If there is no difference after you have reintroduced the primary artificial sweetener, your body does not have an adverse response;
- If you use more artificial sweeteners, repeat these steps with any particular type.
In case you have some aspartame side effects, make sure you report the FDA.
Will You Allow the Industry to Poison Dairy with Aspartame?
If the FDA allows the proposed amendment, products labeled as “milk” can abound in different artificial sweeteners.
Currently, the FDA accepts public comments about this issue.
Via Medical