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.
How to Avoid Phosphate Additives
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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.
- Y. Shutto, M. Shimada, M. Kitajima, H. Yamabe, M. S. Razzaque. Lack of awareness among future medical professionals about the risk of consuming hidden phosphate-containing processed food and drinks. PLoS ONE 2011 6(12):e29105.
- R. A. Sherman, O. Mehta. Dietary phosphorus restriction in dialysis patients: Potential impact of processed meat, poultry, and fish products as protein sources. Am. J. Kidney Dis. 2009 54(1):18 - 23.
- M. A. M. Ai-Ashmawy. Prevalence and public health significance of aluminum residues in milk and some dairy products. J. Food Sci. 2011 76(3):T73 - T76.
- N. W. Gunther. 4th. Effects of polyphosphate additives on Campylobacter survival in processed chicken exudates. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2010 76(8):2419 - 2424.
- N. W. Gunther 4th, Y. He, P. Fratamico. Effects of polyphosphate additives on the pH of processed chicken exudates and the survival of Campylobacter. J. Food Prot. 2011 74(10):1735 - 1740.
- R. A. Sherman, O. Mehta. Phosphorus and potassium content of enhanced meat and poultry products: Implications for patients who receive dialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2009 4(8):1370 - 1373.
- E. Ritz, K. Hahn, M. Ketteler, M. K. Kuhlmann, J. Mann. Phosphate additives in food--a health risk. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012 109(4):49 - 55.
- O. Benini, C. D'Alessandro, D. Gianfaldoni, A. Cupisti. Extra-phosphate load from food additives in commonly eaten foods: A real and insidious danger for renal patients. J Ren Nutr 2011 21(4):303 - 308.
- J. Uribarri. Phosphorus additives in food and their effect in dialysis patients. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2009 4(8):1290 - 1292.
- J. B. León, C. M. Sullivan, A. R. Sehgal AR. The prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in top-selling foods in grocery stores. J Ren Nutr. 2013 23(4):265-270.
- L. Murphy-Gutekunst, J. Uribarri. Hidden Phosphorus-Enhanced Meats: Part 3. J Ren Nutr. 2005 15(4):E1-E4.
- C. M. Sullivan, J. B. Leon, A. R. Sehgal. Phosphorus-containing food additives and the accuracy of nutrient databases: Implications for renal patients. J Ren Nutr. 2007 17(5):350 - 354.
- J. Uribarri, M. S. Calvo. Hidden sources of phosphorus in the typical American diet: Does it matter in nephrology? Semin Dial. 2003 16(3):186 - 188.
- B. G. Lyon, D. P. Smith, E. M. Savage. Descriptive sensory analysis of broiler breast fillets marinated in phosphate, salt, and acid solutions. Poult. Sci. 2005 84(2):345 - 349.
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.
- Y. Shutto, M. Shimada, M. Kitajima, H. Yamabe, M. S. Razzaque. Lack of awareness among future medical professionals about the risk of consuming hidden phosphate-containing processed food and drinks. PLoS ONE 2011 6(12):e29105.
- R. A. Sherman, O. Mehta. Dietary phosphorus restriction in dialysis patients: Potential impact of processed meat, poultry, and fish products as protein sources. Am. J. Kidney Dis. 2009 54(1):18 - 23.
- M. A. M. Ai-Ashmawy. Prevalence and public health significance of aluminum residues in milk and some dairy products. J. Food Sci. 2011 76(3):T73 - T76.
- N. W. Gunther. 4th. Effects of polyphosphate additives on Campylobacter survival in processed chicken exudates. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2010 76(8):2419 - 2424.
- N. W. Gunther 4th, Y. He, P. Fratamico. Effects of polyphosphate additives on the pH of processed chicken exudates and the survival of Campylobacter. J. Food Prot. 2011 74(10):1735 - 1740.
- R. A. Sherman, O. Mehta. Phosphorus and potassium content of enhanced meat and poultry products: Implications for patients who receive dialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2009 4(8):1370 - 1373.
- E. Ritz, K. Hahn, M. Ketteler, M. K. Kuhlmann, J. Mann. Phosphate additives in food--a health risk. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012 109(4):49 - 55.
- O. Benini, C. D'Alessandro, D. Gianfaldoni, A. Cupisti. Extra-phosphate load from food additives in commonly eaten foods: A real and insidious danger for renal patients. J Ren Nutr 2011 21(4):303 - 308.
- J. Uribarri. Phosphorus additives in food and their effect in dialysis patients. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2009 4(8):1290 - 1292.
- J. B. León, C. M. Sullivan, A. R. Sehgal AR. The prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in top-selling foods in grocery stores. J Ren Nutr. 2013 23(4):265-270.
- L. Murphy-Gutekunst, J. Uribarri. Hidden Phosphorus-Enhanced Meats: Part 3. J Ren Nutr. 2005 15(4):E1-E4.
- C. M. Sullivan, J. B. Leon, A. R. Sehgal. Phosphorus-containing food additives and the accuracy of nutrient databases: Implications for renal patients. J Ren Nutr. 2007 17(5):350 - 354.
- J. Uribarri, M. S. Calvo. Hidden sources of phosphorus in the typical American diet: Does it matter in nephrology? Semin Dial. 2003 16(3):186 - 188.
- B. G. Lyon, D. P. Smith, E. M. Savage. Descriptive sensory analysis of broiler breast fillets marinated in phosphate, salt, and acid solutions. Poult. Sci. 2005 84(2):345 - 349.
Images thanks to estherase via flickr
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Title
How to Avoid Phosphate Additives
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor'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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