&Quot;Food Additives&Quot;

Are foods like Lucky Charms, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Oreos and Gatorade facing a nationwide ban in the United States? No, that's not true: Several states, including California, have either passed or are considering legislation to ban certain food additives, but no particular foods would be outlawed. Manufacturers can reformulate to remove the additives -- potassium bromate, propylparaben or red dye…

Does a video of a non-laboratory test using the T-Square brand oral fluid drug test prove that Red Bull energy drink contains the drugs buprenorphine and cocaine? No, that's not true: There is no way to confirm that the people featured in a video shared on social media used the drug test correctly and used an uncontaminated cup to hold…

Is a Parmesan cheese flavor additive toxic? No, that's not true: Two food science experts told Lead Stories it can be dangerous in large amounts because it contains butyric acid, but the amount of the acid allowed in Parmesan is no cause for alarm. Butyric acid naturally occurs in the body and aids in digestion. The claim, which appeared on…

Does a new study claim that artificial sweeteners are to blame for "soaring rates of heart attacks and sudden deaths the past two years"? No, that's not true: The study does not suggest any such link but instead says "The findings ... suggest a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption ... and increased cardiovascular disease risk." The U.S.…

Does carrageenan, a food stabilizer made from red seaweed, cause cancer? No, that's not true: A registered dietitian told Lead Stories that there is no substantial evidence that carrageenan causes cancer. Neither the Food and Drug Administration, nor the European Food Safety Authority have found safety concerns with using carrageenan as an additive. The claim that carrageenan causes cancer appeared…

Are the food additives found in Dairy Queen's soft serve harmful to the human body? No, that's not true: The amount of food additives in a Dairy Queen soft serve is not enough to cause the health problems in this claim. A chemist told Lead Stories that there are very few health risks for these food additives. The claim appeared…

Does the presence of dipotassium phosphate in a food indicate that it is heavily processed and that it could harm your health? No. The Food and Drug Administration classifies this food additive as "Generally Recognized as Safe." The additive dipotassium phosphate is a manufactured salt compound. Both potassium and phosphorus are essential for the body's functioning and are found naturally…

Is trisodium phosphate, an inorganic compound utilized as a cleaner among other uses, unsafe to eat as an ingredient in Lucky Charms cereal? No, that's not true: While the compound is an ingredient in the cereal, it essentially works as a salt and is fine as a food additive. The Food and Drug Administration has given trisodium phosphate the regulatory…

Does Dasani bottled water contain additives that are bad for you, that make it "the worst water bottle ever," such as salt, magnesium sulfate to make your mouth dry and potassium chloride, the same chemical used in a lethal injection to stop the heart? No, that's not true: At the concentration and volume present in the bottled water, the minerals…

Have doctors warned people to avoid eating instant noodles because of the risk of cancer and strokes? No, that is not true: There are no medical studies linking instant noodles to cancer or strokes in humans. A story making this claim also included a video comparing how a human stomach digests instant noodles. The article said the video was "staggering"…