Panic in the Pantry (Consumer Health Library)

Panic in the Pantry was written to help consumers become fully aware of the real facts behind news about the safety of our food supply. Whelan and Stare examine the power wielded by health food lobbyists who band together and exert political pressure to protect their profitable ventures. They discuss the concept of "relative risk" and why it should be used to place information about food additives and preservatives into proper perspective, as well as why the Delaney Clause - a law intended to protect us from cancer causing chemicals in our food - cannot fulfill the noble purpose for which it was drafted and therefore should be repealed.

Also examined is the research behind the banning of cyclomates and the attacks on saccharin and aspertame that left many Americans wondering whether they are doomed to be chubby or develop cancer. A lengthy discussion of California's Proposition 65 provides insight into the chaos that can result when fearmongers are able to secure legislation based on panic about food supply. The authors also address the flight to "natural" products, which may lead to serious health problems as well as added consumer expense. The contemporary back-to-nature mania is rejected as a hoax perpetuated by opportunists intent on taking advantage of frightened and impressionable consumers.

YA-- Whelan and Stare claim that even though we have the safest food supply in the world, consumers are being told that they are being poisoned and tainted. Topics covered include chemically treated versus natural foods, coloration, and additives. Ingredients in coffee, beef, and saccharine are also discussed. The Delaney law, part of which states that any cancer-causing additives should be banned, is presented. The authors strongly recommend that this law be repealed because in reality it strangles rather than protects people. They also discuss how "health" or "natural" foods do not mean chemical-free. They advise readers not to panic, and to demand more information from scientists and lawmakers. This is, indeed, food for thought.
- Mary I. Quinn, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.