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Argument Food Additives

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Argument Food Additives
Today, there are hundreds and thousands of grocery stores and fast food restaurants across the United States. Some of these locations can provide a good, healthy, organic meal, but some serve processed foods with dyes and additives. The average person is unaware of what is actually in the food they eat every day. Sure, the food companies that produce these products put the ingredients on the label, but what person honestly knows what Maltodextrin is? Definitely not me, that is for sure.
For many years, humans have found ways to keep their food edible for longs periods of time. Some of the earliest preservatives and additives were salt, sugar, and vinegar. Today, scientists have created nearly four thousand chemicals to preserve, change, and manipulate the food we eat. With certain chemicals, scientists can copy the taste of natural foods, as well as the color. Some of those products that are completely made from chemicals are artificial sugars, coffee creamers, and candies. Though these products may taste amazing in our in our mouths, they might be hurting our bodies.
I think food companies should not be allowed to put the amount of additives into the food they process as they do now. I’m not sure about everyone else, but I would much rather eat a hamburger that is one hundred percent beef than, say, a McDonald’s hamburger that has been processed and has additives, fillers, and dyes that make the “meat” look brown. The steps that food companies will go through to make their processed food look presentable amazes me. If people knew what was really in that fast food hamburger I’m sure they would think twice before taking a bite out of it. The main reason food companies add chemicals to food is to expand shelf life, make food more convenient, increase nutritional value, improve flavor, and boost the appeal of their food. Say I went to the store and bought thirty seven pounds of beef steaks. What I really just purchased is twenty six percent real beef



Cited: Allen, Eve V. "How Food Additives Affect Our Health." How Food Additives Affect Our Health. By Region, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. Blumenthal, Brett. "10 Worst Food Additives & Where They Lurk." Healthy Green Living, Fitness & Sustainability. Gaiam Life, 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. "Food Additive Facts." Belly Bytes, Where It 's All About Food. Belly Bytes, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. More, Daniel. "Reactions to Food Additives And  Preservatives." About.com Allergies. About.Com, 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Vitamin A? What Does Vitamin A Do?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Severs, Lucy. "Processing Percentage Charts." Custom Meat Processing Charts. Washington State Dept of Agriculture, 23 May 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. Sterling, Colin. "Taco Bell Meat: Chain Sued Over 35% Beef Content In 'Taco Meat Filling ' [Updated]." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.

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