Contact the Government by February 21st!
Health Canada says getting asparaginase into baked and fried food is a "high priority". Asparaginase, by the way, is usually injected into leukemia patients, where it breaks down asparagine, an amino acid that is thought to kill cancer cells.
Junk food manufacturers such including Baking Association of Canada, McCain Foods and Frito Lay Canada are giving the initiative the thumbs up, but what about you? Do you think this drug should be added to breads, crackers, donuts, cakes, French fries, potato chips and other processed and junk foods?
Health Canada's thinking behind this strategy is to counter the high levels of acrylamide, a probable carcinogen formed in some food after high-temperature frying or baking. Those against food additives argue that there are other, more natural, ways to neutralize the damage of acrylamide. For example, reports from the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, include studies that found the herb rosemary effectively reduces the acrylamide content in food by up to 60 percent.
Both logic and science tell us that avoiding cheap, heavily processed foods is the best way to avoid this and other cancer-causing substances. In addition, if food manufacturers cooked with lower temperatures there would be lower levels of acrylamide in food.
Personally, it makes no sense to me to inject food that is already dead and unhealthy to make it possibily less cancer-causing. To me, a government campaign on disease prevention through healthy food choices would be a better place to put time, research and our tax dollars. But that's just me. What about you?
For the government's take on this initiative and to give your feedback by February 21, 2010 visiting the following link:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/consultation/init/_dec2...