Kiwi in Pregnancy: Benefits, Side Effects, and More
Protesters Gather To Demand WK Kellogg Cease Using Dyes, Preservatives
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Battle Creek, Michigan, to protest WK Kellogg's continued use of dyes and preservatives that are considered harmful.
Red dye 40 and a preservative known as BHT were the main elements that medical professionals, protesters and social media influencers spoke about.
Doctors who spoke at Friendship Park in Battle Creek before the march to the WK Kellogg headquarters said these dyes and preservatives can cause learning disabilities and cancer.
When protesters arrived at the headquarters, Vani Hari, the organizer of the protest, brought over 400,000 petition signatures, hoping to speak to an executive in the building.
However, no one let Hari into the building, and no one came out to speak to her.
She then encouraged protesters to stop buying products from Kellogg.
"No one should eat Kellogg's anymore, or buy anything from Kellogg's from this point forward," Hari shouted. "We're starting a mandatory boycott from this moment forward. Do not buy Kellogg's."
In 2015, WK Kellogg announced they would remove all artificial colors and flavors from their cereals by 2018. Hari said WK Kellogg has still not made that happen in 2024.
"They lied to us, and no one's holding them accountable," Hari said. "Not a single person, until now, here at Kellogg's headquarters doorstep."
In a statement WK Kellogg said: "The quality and safety of our foods is our top priority. Our products—and the ingredients we use to make them—are compliant with all applicable relevant laws and regulations, and we remain committed to transparently labeling our ingredients so consumers can easily make choices about the food they purchase."
Nikki Quisenberry, from Clarkston, Michigan, made the two-hour trip to Battle Creek to protest, as she felt it was important for her children, who she does not allow to eat Kellogg's cereal.
"There's no way you can deny that it's doing something negative to your body," Quisenberry said. "It doesn't belong there. It's not natural. It shouldn't be in our food."
Although she did not get to speak to someone at WK Kellogg, Hari vowed not to stop fighting.
Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.
Red Meat Allergy: Alpha-gal Syndrome Is One More Reason To Avoid Tick Bites.
Christine Longette never imagined tick bites would lead to a life-threatening allergy.
Yet that is what happened to the Asbury Park woman in 2020 after she joined friends for a hike during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned covered in ticks.
After the hike, "I get to the car, pull out my lint roller, and… my first roll, the entire thing was filled with ticks," Longette, 56, recalled. "I was… totally mortified, peeled the sheet off, (and) did it again and again and again."
Still, Longette found ticks and bites on her body later that night.
"They were Lone Star ticks, and they were… every possible size you could imagine, from the…microscopic to the big ones," she said. "I ended up with Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, Bartonella."
After a round of antibiotics, Longette thought her ordeal was over. A few months later, Longette started having severe allergic reactions at night.
Christine Longette of Jackson was bitten by a number of ticks after hiking in the summer of 2020, and months later became severely ill and was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal syndrome, which is an allergy to a sugar found in mammal meat that people develop after tick bites. She's since moved to an urban area from Jackson to avoid ticks.
At first, she blamed the antibiotics for her symptoms, which included itching and red spots at night.
"In the beginning it was just hives," Longette recalled. "Then it got to be more like a food poisoning… It's always a delayed reaction."
She went to her doctor for testing and found the symptoms were actually related to a condition she developed as a result of the tick bites -- a potentially deadly allergy to a sugar found in red meat.
Her condition, known as alpha-gal syndrome, typically develops in the weeks after a tick bites. Then, people with the condition being developing symptoms within hours of eating pork, beef, venison or lamb: stomach cramps, vomiting, hives, swelling.
Longette is not alone. Last year 360 people in New Jersey were diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome and reported to the New Jersey Health Department. As of Sept. 14, another 169 people have been diagnosed with the allergy this year.
What is alpha-gas syndromeAlpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to a type of sugar known as galactose-α-1,3-galactose, which is found within the meat of certain mammals, such as cows, pigs, sheep and deer.
"The animals that typically contain it are four legged animals with hooves," said Dr. Chirag Patel, Jersey Shore University Medical Center's chief of allergy and immunology medicine. Alpha-gal is found in other mammals too, such as rabbit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The sugar molecule is not made within the bodies of humans, primates, fish or poultry. Although humans can eat alpha-gal in meat for years without developing an allergy, it is when the sugar enters the body through human skin that the allergy to alpha-gal begins, Patel said.
Who is at risk for getting alpha-gal syndrome?During feeding, tick or chigger saliva containing alpha-gal enters the host's skin and triggers the human immune system to form antibodies against the foreign sugar molecule, Patel said.
"It's kind of like getting a vaccination, in a sense, but the wrong kind of vaccination," he said.
Anyone who has been bitten by a tick or chiggers is at risk for developing alpha-gal syndrome, said Dr. Catherine Monteleone, an allergist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Even one bite can trigger the condition, she said.
"I've had people who are hunters and have Lyme disease and have multiple allergies (from numerous tick bites), and a girl walked in her backyard and got one tick bite (as patients)," she said.
The Lone Star tick, which can transmit alpha-gal syndrome, is distributed across the eastern and southern United States.
While alpha-gal is associated in the United States with bites from Lone Star ticks, infectious disease doctors say other species of ticks throughout the world can transmit the syndrome. The blacklegged tick, or deer tick, is also known to have alpha-gal in its saliva, said Dr. Hamadullah Shaikh, an infectious disease expert at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Alpha-gal syndrome "is on every continent, except Antarctica," Monteleone said.
Chiggers, a tiny mite relative of ticks and spiders, also can transmit alpha-gal syndrome, experts said.
What are the symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome?Unlike other kinds of food allergies, the reaction often happens hours after eating meat.
The sugar "typically hides inside fat cells," Patel said. "Alpha-gal molecules tend to trend up after four to five hours after eating…It takes a while for the fat to be processed before it's released into your bloodstream. That's why people react much later."
Longette would have dinner around 6 p.M. And then by 10 or 11 p.M., the cold sweats, chills and stomach cramps would begin, she said. Lastly, asthma attack-like symptoms would start, she recalled.
Longette would take an antihistamine, an allergy pill and medication for an upset stomach. If those did not work, she would head to the hospital.
"It's scary. It really is," she said. "The lack of knowledge by the medical people is frustrating."
Alpha-gal is found not just in meat but in other animal products, like dairy, gelatin used to coat pills and in certain medications. As a result, Longette said she must be extra vigilant when taking medication and rarely eats outside her home anymore.
The allergy "affects every aspect of my entire life now," she said.
Is there a cure for alpha-gal syndrome?Allergists said alpha-gal syndrome can be tricky to diagnose, because not everyone who is allergic to the sugar reacts every time they eat meat or in the same way.
"It can have all the allergic symptoms, or you can just get skin disease… hives, right, or itching," said Monteleone. "You can get GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms. And sometimes you only get GI symptoms, which is why it's sometimes very hard to diagnose."
Doctors said there is no cure, so people with the syndrome should avoid eating red meat and taking certain medications. Some people must also avoid dairy products and gelatins, depending on their level of sensitivity, they said.
Monteleone expects more people will be diagnosed with this condition in the future.
"It's becoming more of a problem, and it's becoming more common over time," she said.
A longer growing season, warmer winters and climate change are all contributing to a growing tick population, which is spreading alpha-gal syndrome, Monteleone said.
"People really have to check themselves (for ticks), even just in their own backyards," she said. "You don't have to be in a wooded area to get a tick."
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 16 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.Com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury woman shares grueling journey with meat allergy from tick bite
View comments
Protesters Want Kellogg To Remove Artificial Colors From Froot Loops, Other Cereals
How foods can impact your gut healthSaturday is "National Food is Medicine Day" and many Americans deal with a plethora of health issues. LiveNOW from FOX host Christy Matino spoke to Dr. Joan Salge Blake, a clinical assistant professor and dietetics internship director at Boston University's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences on this issue.
The Brief:LOS ANGELES - Activists gathered outside WK Kellogg Co.'s headquarters in Michigan on Tuesday to urge the company to remove artificial dyes and preservatives from its popular breakfast cereals in the U.S., like Froot Loops and Apple Jacks.
Although the company pledged almost a decade ago to eliminate artificial ingredients by 2018, many products in the U.S. Still contain additives like artificial colors and BHT, a chemical preservative. The same cereals in countries like Canada use natural coloring from fruit juices.
Why are food dyes controversial?Artificial food dyes have long been a topic of concern due to their potential links to health risks, particularly in children. Research has suggested that certain dyes may contribute to behavioral issues, such as hyperactivity, raising alarms among parents and health experts alike.
In 2023, Peeps, the popular marshmallow treat most associated with Easter, announced it would no longer contain a chemical linked to cancer known as Red Dye No. 3. This dye is often used as food coloring in various products like Peeps, but it has been banned in the U.S. For decades in makeup and topical medicines after being linked to cancer.
Despite these bans, Red Dye No. 3 remains legal in foods, dietary supplements, and oral drugs, and is still found in popular items like candies and fruit cocktails, which continue to be sold across U.S. Grocery stores.
RELATED: The yellow dye in Cheetos makes skin transparent, scientists find
Consumer health advocates have been pushing the FDA to ban Red Dye No. 3 from food products for years, pointing to its links to cancer and other health risks. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit advocating for safer food, has been particularly vocal in these efforts.
In fact, a year before Peeps announced it would remove Red Dye No. 3, CSPI submitted a petition urging the FDA to ban its use in foods, dietary supplements, and oral medications. The FDA responded, stating it was still "actively reviewing" the petition and had extended the deadline for public comments due to "stakeholder requests."
"When we review a color additive petition requesting that the FDA revoke an authorization, we are reviewing the information submitted in the petition to determine whether it contains sufficient data to support a finding that the authorized use should be revoked. For more information about the petition process, see: Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers About the Food Additive or Color Additive Petition Process. We will publish our response to the petition in the Federal Register once we have completed our review," the FDA spokesperson said.
Kellogg Co. Froot Loops brand breakfast cereal is arranged for a photograph in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017.
How does California's new law impact food dyes?California recently became the first U.S. State to ban four dyes used in products like Froot Loops. The ban includes Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, Yellow Dye No. 6, and Blue Dye No. 1. The law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, putting additional pressure on food manufacturers to reformulate their products to meet state regulations.
These additives have been banned in countries across Europe for years. Newsom's law also bans other chemicals found in sodas and baked goods. With California's decision, companies like WK Kellogg may have to rethink their approach to artificial additives in U.S. Products.
What does Kellogg say?WK Kellogg Co. Responded to the protests by stating that 85% of its U.S. Cereals no longer contain artificial colors. They noted that different consumer preferences across markets have influenced their decision-making. While Canadian consumers have embraced cereals made with natural ingredients, Kellogg stated that U.S. Consumer feedback hasn't been as receptive to those changes.
Still, Kellogg continues to innovate and develop new cereals without artificial dyes, balancing consumer demand and regulatory changes.
The Source: This article was sourced from Associated Press coverage of the rally at WK Kellogg Co. Headquarters and additional details from a Fox Live Now article on food dye controversies. Further context was provided by official statements from Kellogg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent legislation. Kelly Hayes contributed to this story.
Comments
Post a Comment