Global Standpoint
- ADA is legal in North America
- FDA does not consider it toxic in amounts less than 45 ppm, but approved its use in the 60s and has not reviewed it since
- World Health organization states that it is hazardous to workers in an industrial setting
- Banned in UK and Australia
- Overall, there is not enough research to defend ADA
- Increased pressure on major companies
• In Canada, there is no requirement to label ADA as a food additive because it is an ingredient of flour
• ADA was approved in the 1960s before knowledge of the dangers of released carcinogens
Alternatives
Risks
Butter, Oils, and Whole Milk
- Natural ingrediants that are high in fat allow bread to have a softer, fluffier texture
SAFOAM® HT
- An alternative compound used to manufacture azodicarbonamide-based plastics
- Produces no hazardous by-products
- FDA approved
- Does omit cancer causing by-products into the atmosphere during production that ADA is known to produce
Yeast and Corn Starch
- Allow dough to rise properly and create a full and fluffy texture for bread without harmful chemical by-products
- Produces carcinogenic by-products such as semicarbazide during manufacturing process
- Risks are mainly from industrial exposureUnknown long-term effects in humans
- Development of asthma when exposed to large doses
- Known to cause cancer in mice
- Increases sensitivity to gluten
"Safoam products are non-toxic and food-safe. With no Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) or Global Warming Potential (GWP) Safoam helps you meet current and future global emission requirements and can replace CFC and HCFC in the production of foam products."- Reedy International
Benefits
- Improves quality of bread by allowing air pockets to form in dough
- Bleaches flour for a greater aesthetic appeal
- Low cost
- Increases the sponginess of plastics for cushioning of running shoes and yoga mats for comfort
Azodicarbonamide
The Subway Scandal
- Subway has declared to remove ADA from their products by LAST WEEK
- Received negative media attention, originating from food blogger Vani Hari
- Public became mad because ADA is present in many foods that people consider healthy
- Subway originally defended the use of ADA due to size of quantities, but made steps to remove it due to bad publicity
What We Think
Initial Opinion
The Mob Rule (Consumer Pressure)
- There are many cross over chemicals between the food and manufacturing industry (sheet rock)
- The concern was not about industrial risks, but about the actual consumption
- Almost all research is about hazards in an industrial setting (much greater exposure)
- Urethane (the concerning chemical) is released when toasting bread
- Scandal should be about lack of transparency rather than ADA
Carly Week's Critique on the Subway Scandal (Globe and Mail)
- There is no conclusive evidence that that consuming miniscule amounts of ADA is harmful
- Consumers caring about their food is great, but priorities are misaligned
- Minor risk posed by consuming small doses of ADA is not significant compared to the large amounts of sugars and sodium
"I wanted people to know that eating fresh is not actually eating fresh"
- A chemical compound commonly known as ADA with the chemical formula C2H4O2N4
- A yellow-orange crystalline powder
- Used as a food additive in bread and various baked goods to improve dough quality
- Used as a bleaching agent for wheat flour
- Chemical used in the creation of yoga mats
- ADA is not harmful in large doses but if one consumes ADA often, bio accumulation may be a dangerous factor
- Factory workers are at risk due to the cancerous properties of ADA in large amounts in the work place
- It is not necessary to make bread and it is a potentially harmful chemical, so why use it?
- The true benefit is not nutritional, it is solely convenient for industrial baking
Where It Is Used
"Q: Is ADA necessary to make bread?
FDA: No. The use of ADA as a whitening agent and dough conditioner is not necessary to make bread and there are alternative ingredients approved for use available."-FDA
- Yoga Mats, Shoe Rubber, Fake Leather
- Bread, Cakes, Doughnuts
- Corporations such as McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Pizza Pizza, and Panera Bread use it in most of their products
ADA Food Additive