By: Haroon Yonis

The FDA is a federal organization that focuses on food safety and health. It regulates our foods/drugs and makes sure what we consume doesn’t harm us. 

As US citizens, we are right to assume this organization will do their best to prevent harm from coming to us through seemingly harmless foods. 

Yet, there are many controversies surrounding the FDA and its peculiar leniency in banning cancer causing agents; ingredients that have been banned in the EU, and practically every country in the world, yet the FDA continues to delay banning these harmful ingredients, many of which have been proven to cause cancer and many other terrible diseases.

A great example of this, is the group of food dyes commonly found in many household foods: Yellow 6, Yellow 5, and Red 40.

These food dyes have been scientifically proven to cause cancer. The specific cancer causing chemicals in these foods are: 4-aminobiphenyl, 4-aminoazobenzene, and benzidine.

Not only do these food dyes cause cancer, they also cause vomiting and an uncontrollable itch when they are given to certain individuals. Also, young adolescents are more susceptible to these conditions when consuming the dye.

These dyes wouldn’t be an issue if they weren’t prevalent in popular and household foods such as Froot Loops, Doritos, and Jello.

Millions eat these foods every year, and the FDA continues to claim the chemicals in these dyes are safe. Yellow 5, 6, and Red 40, have been banned in the United Kingdom, France, and many other countries. The dye is even illegal in countries such as Norway and Finland.

This is only a single example of the FDA’s failure at keeping US citizens safe. There are thousands of other chemicals that are still allowed in the US, despite the obvious risks and effects associated with them.

Now, the questions that arises are:

• Why does the FDA continue to allow such foods to be sold in the market, when their sole purpose is to regulate these foods?
• And: How can we as a country prevent these foods from reaching our children and communities?

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/food-dyes?scrlybrkr=33f1b46b
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23026007/

By: Ashley Harris

Is the McDonald’s “Quarter Pounder Deluxe” the newest health food? Health is defined differently in every country and even in every household. Some people might say “Low carb is the healthiest diet!” While others might argue that “Plant based is the healthiest diet!” Although each of these has great possibilities, they both lack at least one of the five macronutrients needed in a well-balanced and sustainable diet.

What are the five macronutrients, you might ask. Well, according to the Nutrient Department at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; In a well-balanced meal, you need one of these five macronutrients: Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins (most commonly found in fruits and vegetables), and whole grains.

When someone thinks of a well-balanced meal, their mind will most likely drift to a salad or something of the sort. While this meal is great for getting vitamins and possibly protein; that is only 2 of the 5 necessary macronutrients.

Whereas, If we look at the “Quarter Pounder Deluxe” from McDonald’s, we see a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, meat patty, and pickles. In this meal, you will find carbohydrates in the bun; protein in the meat patty and cheese; vitamins in the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles; fat in the cheese, bun, and meat patty; and whole grains in the bun.

Now some might argue that this still isn’t a well-balanced meal due to the grease or artificial ingredients, but no diet is well balanced or sustainable without allowing your body the things they crave. Remember, health isn’t always about improving physical health but improving mental health as well. As well-known nutritionist, Anupama Menon once said, “Make your food routine easy on yourselves, eat what you make in the kitchen, eat enough. Discipline lies in balance, not in deprivation.”

So, is the McDonald’s “Quarter Pounder Deluxe” really the worst food for your health?

By: Haroon Yonis

A food apartheid is when a community has no access to healthy food or grocery stores in their area. Food apartheid are an underlying issue in many of our communities. It differs from a normal food desert, in that it specifically relates to race. The lack of healthy, available food is a concern we must address. 

Many of these communities lack access to reliable transportation, so when these lower-income communities are affected by a food apartheid, they are virtually powerless. As a result of this, they tend to resort to lower quality frozen foods that are sold at their local convenience stores. The effects of eating such food, over a long period of time, is extremely detrimental to the human body. This causes health issues to be more prevalent in these areas, and can include obesity, heart disease, cancer, and a plethora of other health issues. 

Food apartheids do not occur coincidentally, as they are racially motivated. Many of these areas have a large minority population, and as result of past discrimination, tend to have a lower overall salary then their higher-income counterparts. Grocery stores notice these statistics, and single out these marginalized communities, purposely not building their stores in these areas. As a result, this causes a lack of healthy and accessible foods in those regions.

An unfortunate local case of a food apartheid, is the Frogtown community that many Minnesota residents are familiar with. Grocery stores are almost non-existent in this area, while there are a multitude of convenience stores in the region. 

According to the Minnesota Compass website, the median income in the Frogtown area is $38,103, with approximately 69.4% of the population being minorities. The percentage of residents who have vehicles is quite low too, which makes it harder for these individuals to have access to the grocery stores in areas such as Midway and Highland. 

Many families realize this, and begin feeding their children foods that are riddled with GMO’s, chemicals, and concerning ingredients. Even if they desired to eat healthier, this simply wouldn’t be possible due to the area having almost no grocery stores.

So, how do we improve the accessibility of healthier foods in these marginalized communities?

The first step to solving this crisis is by acknowledging that it exists. Afterwards, we can find which areas are being purposely targeted, and start improving the flow of healthier foods in those highlighted areas.

Eventually, we can start building grocery stores in these areas, so families who lack reliable transportation can easily make the walk or bus ride to these stores. But in order for this to be possible, we as a community must come together and make this a reality.