Imagine sitting on a warm family evening, eating sunflower seeds (yellow pulp), peanuts, and crackers with an attractive yellow color, without knowing that this eye-catching color is nothing but a “chemical trap” specially made to deceive your eyes, while slowly creeping in to destroy the cells of your body and the bodies of your children!
This nightmare turned into a terrifying reality in Egypt, after the Egyptian regulatory authorities launched a campaign in Beni Suef Governorate, which resulted in the detection of a disaster inside snack shops: there is a substance called “tartrazine” that is used to dye sunflower seeds and peanuts in violation of food safety. This shock comes a few days after another substance called “titanium dioxide” was seized, which was used to bleach cane juice!
Tartrazine is originally an industrial dye approved by World Health Organizations in products such as chips, soft drinks, and sweets, in very precise microscopic proportions that do not exceed a few grams.
But the real disaster, according to what was revealed by clinical nutrition consultant Dr. Bahaa Naji, lies in the random doses that unscrupulous merchants put in place to give the sunflower seeds a bright color, as people eat large quantities of these snacks in one night, which raises the dose of the substance inside the body to “toxic” levels.
Doctors have warned that unconscious excessive consumption of foods dyed with this substance causes sudden and disturbing health symptoms, perhaps the most prominent of which are:
- Destruction of body cells: Exceeding the safe daily limit (7.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) turns the substance into oxidizing compounds that attack cells and cause “oxidative stress.”
- Danger to children: This substance is directly linked to children suffering from hyperactivity and severe attention deficit disorder.
- Respiratory and skin crises: It causes immediate irritation in asthma patients, and the appearance of a severe allergic skin rash (urticaria).
The Egyptian authorities mobilized their agencies to disinfect the markets and arrest violators to protect consumer health. The next time you buy “entertainment”, completely stay away from “pulp” or crackers with bright or excessively artificial colors, and be sure to read the ingredients of any product you buy for your children, as their health cannot tolerate a fraudulent paintbrush!
Imagine sitting in a warm family gathering, enjoying sunflower seeds, “the yellow kernel,” peanuts, and attractive yellow snacks, unaware that this eye-catching color is nothing but a “chemical trap” specifically designed to deceive your eyes, while it slowly seeps in to destroy the cells of your body and your children’s bodies!
This nightmare has turned into a terrifying reality in Egypt, after Egyptian regulatory authorities launched a campaign in Beni Suef Governorate, resulting in the discovery of a disaster inside snack shops: there is a substance called “tartrazine” used to color sunflower seeds and peanuts in violation of food safety. This shock comes just a few days after another substance called “titanium dioxide” was found being used to whiten sugarcane juice!
The substance “tartrazine” is originally a synthetic dye approved by global health organizations in products such as chips, soft drinks, and candies, in very minute quantities that do not exceed a few grams.
However, the real disaster, according to what revealed by therapeutic nutrition consultant Dr. Bahaa Nagy, lies in the random doses that unscrupulous traders use to give sunflower seeds “the kernel” a bright color, as people consume large amounts of these snacks in one night, raising the dose of the substance in the body to “toxic” levels.
Doctors have warned that unconscious overconsumption of foods dyed with this substance causes sudden and concerning health symptoms, the most notable of which are:
- Destruction of body cells: exceeding the safe daily limit (7.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) turns the substance into oxidizing compounds that attack cells and cause “oxidative stress.”
- Risk to children: This substance is directly linked to causing hyperactivity and severe attention deficit in children.
- Respiratory and skin crises: it causes immediate irritation for asthma patients and the appearance of severe allergic skin rashes (urticaria).
The Egyptian authorities have mobilized their agencies to cleanse the markets and contain fuels to protect consumer health. The next time you buy “snacks,” stay completely away from “the kernel” or snacks with overly bright or artificial colors, and make sure to read the ingredients of any product you buy for your children, as their health cannot withstand a tainted coloring brush!
