What the FDA Does Not Want You To Know About the Foods You Eat

by Renee Joy Dufault, PhD, RPH, CCN
$16.95, 192 pages, 6 x 9-inch paperback, ISBN : 978-0-7570-0436-0

Each year, Americans consume hundreds of food products that contain truly dangerous compounds, including heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful additives—with the blessing of the FDA. Why is this happening and why haven’t you heard about it? While I am not a fan of conspiracy theories, I am someone who believes in real facts. In Unsafe at Any Meal, Dr. Renee Dufault, former food investigator for the Food and Drug Administration, provides the startling answers as to why we are not aware of the potential dangers in our processed foods. 

While at the FDA, Dr. Dufault discovered that mercury—a highly toxic metal—was contaminating the FDA laboratory plumbing systems. Upon further examination, she discovered that the same mercury was also evident in a number of processed foods commonly sold in supermarkets. When Dr. Dufault revealed these disturbing findings in her report to her superior, she was told to stop her investigation. Her continued efforts to raise the issue always met with a dead end, so she chose to take an early retirement from the FDA. Dr. Dufault then devoted her energy to making the public aware of the insidious dangers that contaminate our food. In 2010, she founded an organization of scientists to study the scope of this problem and has published numerous research articles on the topic with little fanfare. To expose what still seems to be a well-kept secret by the FDA, she has written Unsafe at Any Meal to provide consumers with the information they need to know. 

The book begins with the author’s story leading up to the creation of this work. It then describes the various toxic substances that are most commonly found in our food supply, and explains how they affect your genes, health, and the surrounding environment. After examining the Standard American Diet, which is sorely lacking in disease-preventing nutrients, it discusses the country’s trend toward consuming a skyrocketing amount of ingredients that can contain heavy metals. It further shows how exposure to these heavy metals can contribute to conditions such as ADHD or autism. Also included is a helpful guide to reading food labels, recognizing misleading marketing tactics, and knowing what to look for—and what to look out for—in the aisles of your grocery store.

Over 60 years ago, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring exposed the dangers of DDT in our food supply. Unfortunately, it seems that the problem of food contamination has actually become worse. Backed by research and first-hand experience, Dr. Dufault reveals how the FDA has failed us, and outlines how you can protect yourself and your family by knowing what to avoid and by filling your kitchen with food that is toxin-free.

Preface to the Book

It took nearly 10 years, but a connection has finally been made between eating processed food and inorganic mercury exposure. A team of researchers and I analyzed 13 years of data and conducted a clinical trial in which human subjects reduced their intake of processed foods. We found they had lower inorganic blood mercury levels compared with subjects who did not significantly reduce their processed food intake. In other words, we simply demonstrated that eating processed foods contributes to higher inorganic blood mercury levels. This means the more processed food you eat, the higher your inorganic blood mercury levels will be. Why should you care? Inorganic mercury exposure can make you more prone to disease—for example, inorganic mercury exposure increases your risk of type 2 diabetes by causing your blood sugar level to rise. How does this happen? Inorganic mercury or other toxic substance exposure can lead to essential mineral losses and gene dysfunction. When certain genes are not working properly, your body metabolism changes. Changes in body metabolism can result in the development of type 2 diabetes or other diseases associated with the Western diet. What you eat determines how your genes behave. That is why you need access to a food supply that is not contaminated with inorganic mercury or other toxic substances. In writing this book, I hope to teach you the difference between a safe and unsafe food supply.

It is my belief that a safe food supply should not contain inorganic mercury or any other toxic element that has been shown to impact human health. I am not alone in this belief. For example, my view on inorganic mercury in the food supply is consistent with that of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recommends eliminating all mercury exposures from the child’s environment, including from the diet. The AAP also recommends removing certain mercury-containing food colors from a hyperactive or inattentive child’s diet. I agree with these recommendations! Mercury is a neurotoxin and has no place in our children’s diets, despite the fact that it has been found in the most common food ingredient in the food supply by both American and Canadian researchers.

There are many stakeholders involved in the food distribution system, and all have differing views on the safety of the food supply. Grocery manufacturers and food distributors are primarily concerned with extending product shelf life and increasing profits, while consumers are more concerned about food quality from a safety and health standpoint. Controversy surrounds foods grown with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or with pesticides. This is why a growing number of consumers want their food labeled; they want to know what they are buying. In response to consumer demands, many grocery manufacturers are now voluntarily labeling food products with or without GMOs and pesticides. It is important to understand that consumers in some countries outside of the United States do not have to worry about the safety of their food supply because their governments have more power to regulate what goes into their food supply.

Some countries outside of the U.S. have banned the sale of grains grown with GMO seeds. This is because some of the science-based evidence tells us that growing GMO crops may lead to adverse environmental or human health impacts. It is too early to determine if GMO crops are safe. Scientists cannot reach a consensus on the safety of foods grown with GMO technology. What I do know is that in banning the sale of grains grown from GMO seeds, countries are taking a precautionary approach. It is better to be safe than sorry, because interpreting science-based evidence is tricky no matter what food or food ingredient we talk about. In the U.S., we do not take this precautionary approach in regulating the use of chemicals, GMO seeds, or food ingredients. The European Union (EU), on the other hand, does take a precautionary approach in regulating chemicals, including those used to make food ingredients.

The purpose of this book is to shed some light on the issues related to food safety in the U.S. and elsewhere. It is my belief that every consumer has a right to learn what is known or not known about the safety of our food supply. If you are a parent, this knowledge is especially important for the health of your children. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is comprised of many unsafe food ingredients that impact the way your genes function, leading to the development of common Western diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. I am writing this book because there is a need to educate consumers about the quality of the food supply so they can make the best decisions for their families when they are shopping for food at the grocery store. In this book, I take an inside look at the food manufacturing industry’s practices and history, and how these have shaped our diets and health today. It is my hope that you will join me in the pursuit of an honest food regulation industry and a safe food supply.

Food safety is a problem for most families in the United States, rich or poor, whether they know it or not. I know this for a fact because I have studied the SAD extensively, published my findings with collaborators in peer-reviewed medical journals, and for many years worked at the agency responsible for food safety in the U.S.—the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).