The popular Thanksgiving side dish served in millions of homes every year is being banned across Europe — and not because Europeans are too jealous of our delicious holiday food.
Stove Top Stuffing, the packaged instant mix that has cemented itself as a must-have accompaniment to turkey, contains two ingredients that are banned in many developed countries.
One doctor told The Post that the ingredients are known to be carcinogenic to humans and may cause other health problems as well, and are actually found in much more foods than people realize.
Created by Ruth M. Sims and introduced by General Foods in 1972, the stovetop stuffing recipe was so unique that it was patented—and quickly became a fan favorite. A Kraft Foods spokesman told the New York Times in 2005 that it sells 60 million boxes of them every year at Thanksgiving.
The turkey version is a mixture of bread, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, onion, turkey, celery, and parsley — and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), two man-made chemicals used as flavor enhancers and food preservatives. Extended lifespan.
Although BHA and BHT are completely legal in the United States — and in fact appear in countless processed foods such as snacks, cereals, processed meats, chewing gum, and butter — they are banned in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Japan.
BHA, in particular, is known to be a carcinogen, even in the United States, which means it is known to increase the risk of cancer.
“A lot of countries have stricter rules about what is allowed in food,” Dr. Neha Pathak, MD, a member of the medical team at WebMD, told The Post. She compared the approach taken by the United States regarding food ingredients to “innocent until proven guilty.”
She added that there is growing evidence that BHA and BHT are harmful, with increased cancer risk high on the list of concerns.
“These types of preservatives are banned in the European Union, mostly due to the risk of cancer,” she said. “The risk of cancer is concerning and certainly reasonably expected based on the studies we have conducted.
“There are a lot of animal studies showing that high doses can cause tumor development in rats and hamsters. It is classified as reasonably expected to be a human carcinogen.
This is not the only reason for concern. The chemicals may also be endocrine disruptors, meaning they may interfere with our hormonal functions, affecting reproductive or developmental health, Dr. Pathak said.
“We are still studying what that means in terms of endocrine disruptors specifically,” she said. “We know it can interfere with how our hormones communicate with different parts of the body. Is it fertility, is it early menstruation? We're still trying to figure out exactly what those ultimate effects will be.”
There is also some risk of allergies that can cause rashes or hypersensitivity responses, she added.
So does this mean you should give up your beloved packaged stuffing ASAP? The answer is complicated. Dr. Pathak stressed that 70% of American diets consist of ultra-processed foods, so the stuffing you eat one day a year is only a small part of the problem.
“We eat a lot of these types of foods, and BHA and BHT aren't just in Stove Top Stuffing,” she said.
“We have to be very thoughtful about what we buy and put into our bodies throughout the year. This is just one example to highlight the types of chemicals that are unfortunately found in a lot of our ultra-processed foods.
In fact, Dr Pathak admitted she eats ultra-processed foods in her home, but said everyone needs to pay more attention to the ingredients on the back of the package – and called for higher-level action to weed out harmful ingredients. of food supplies.
“For more than 50 years, Stove Top Stuffing has been a trusted favorite on family meal tables,” a spokesperson for the Stove Top brand told The Post. “Every box is crafted with care, following the same high-quality standards we use in every one of our brands.” Commercial, while exceeding the strict safety guidelines set by government agencies We will proudly offer Stove Top to our families this Thanksgiving.
Dr. Pathak said don't make yourself feel crazy like you need to take it off your table this year.
“We can't necessarily judge ourselves and feel stressed about everything we put on our plate. It just takes longer than it does for some of us,” she said.
“But it's important to realize that 70% of what we put into our bodies is ultra-processed [and ask ourselves,] Are there some things we can start eliminating so we can eat a safer, healthier diet?
