How to Avoid Phosphate Additives

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The vast majority of chicken and poultry products are injected with phosphorus preservatives, which are often not listed in the ingredients. Reducing one’s intake of meat, junk food, fast food, and processed cheese may help lower intake until labeling is mandated.

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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

How often is poultry injected with phosphates? The vast majority of chicken products—more than 90%—were found to contain these additives, and most of the packages of meat did not list the additives on their label.

Sometimes they call the phosphate additives “flavorings” or “broth,” and sometimes the labels don’t say anything at all. If they do list them, it will probably be one of these. I’d recommend minimizing one’s intake of anything with those four letters: p, h, o, s. They’re also used in a lot in junk foods and fast food. 

This one has phosphorus and aluminum. You see this a lot in processed cheese. One grilled cheese sandwich, and we may exceed the World Health Organization’s provisional tolerable daily intake of aluminum by 428%, in one sandwich.

And, the food industry no longer has to list phosphorus content on the Nutrition Facts label.There certainly have been calls from the public health community to “mandate that [the] phosphorus content of foods be included [back] on [the] nutrition facts labels.” Good luck with that.

All these studies “bring home the same strong message: phosphorus-containing additives are present in most meat products and significantly increase the phosphorus content… Moreover, the lack of this information in the Nutrition Facts labels,” and even in nutrition databases, “prevents patients and dietitians from accurately estimating food phosphorus content and intake.” So, as if animal products weren’t bad enough already, the added phosphates may bring them up to here.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Images thanks to estherase via flickr

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

How often is poultry injected with phosphates? The vast majority of chicken products—more than 90%—were found to contain these additives, and most of the packages of meat did not list the additives on their label.

Sometimes they call the phosphate additives “flavorings” or “broth,” and sometimes the labels don’t say anything at all. If they do list them, it will probably be one of these. I’d recommend minimizing one’s intake of anything with those four letters: p, h, o, s. They’re also used in a lot in junk foods and fast food. 

This one has phosphorus and aluminum. You see this a lot in processed cheese. One grilled cheese sandwich, and we may exceed the World Health Organization’s provisional tolerable daily intake of aluminum by 428%, in one sandwich.

And, the food industry no longer has to list phosphorus content on the Nutrition Facts label.There certainly have been calls from the public health community to “mandate that [the] phosphorus content of foods be included [back] on [the] nutrition facts labels.” Good luck with that.

All these studies “bring home the same strong message: phosphorus-containing additives are present in most meat products and significantly increase the phosphorus content… Moreover, the lack of this information in the Nutrition Facts labels,” and even in nutrition databases, “prevents patients and dietitians from accurately estimating food phosphorus content and intake.” So, as if animal products weren’t bad enough already, the added phosphates may bring them up to here.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Images thanks to estherase via flickr

Doctor's Note

This is the third of a three-part video series on phosphate additives added to meat and junk food. The first, Phosphate Additives in Meat Purge & Cola, described the risk for the general population associated with the consumption of these preservatives, and compared the phosphorus levels of various foods. In my previous video, Phosphate Additives in Chicken, I described the food safety implications (beyond the cardiovascular and kidney concerns).

Also of concern are the levels of lead in venison (see Filled Full of Lead) and mercury in tuna (see The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages).

For further context, check out my associated blog post: Where are Phosphate Additives Found?

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