Preservative in Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its, Hundreds Of Popular Foods May Harm Immune System

Most shoppers probably appreciate preservatives for their ability to keep food around longer before it spoils. Unfortunately, a new report finds hundreds of popular, processed foods may contain one ingredient which harms the human immune system.

Researchers from the Environmental Working Group say nearly 1,250 products contain the shelf life-extending chemical tert-butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ. They find this preservative, used in Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, Cheez-Its, and countless other products, disrupts immune health in both animal and non-animal tests. It may even weaken the effectiveness of vaccines against viruses like COVID-19.

“The pandemic has focused public and scientific attention on environmental factors that can impact the immune system,” says Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., study lead author and EWG vice president for science investigations, in a media release. “Before the pandemic, chemicals that may harm the immune system’s defense against infection or cancer did not receive sufficient attention from public health agencies. To protect public health, this must change.”

What chemicals are mixing into our food?
Researchers looked at data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Forecaster, or ToxCast, during their study. Along with examining health hazards from preservatives, the team studied “forever chemicals,” or PFAS. These chemicals, commonly used in making food packaging, can migrate from the wrappers to the food itself.

The ToxCast analysis shows TBHQ appears to have a link to poorer immune system health in toxicology testing. EWG researchers call TBHQ a pervasive ingredient in processed foods. The food industry has been using it for decades, with its only function being to prolong shelf life.

Study authors add previous reports point to TBHQ impacting how well flu vaccines work as well as heightening food allergies. Non-animal tests reveal TBHQ can affect immune cell proteins at similar doses which cause harm in animal experiments.

For PFAS, researchers gathered every publicly available study revealing how the chemicals move from the packaging to the food. In 2017, nationwide testing discovered that several fast food chains use wrappers, bags, and boxes covered in highly-fluorinated chemicals.

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