WWF report: Even reindeer meat contains poisonous chemicals

print this

An average European shopping bag filled with groceries contains substantial quantities of toxic chemicals, reveals a new study commissioned by WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund).
      Even reindeer meat from the supposedly pure and pristine nature of Lapland contains PCBs, plasticizing agents, and insecticides. The same harmful additives and contaminants can also be found from a second, slightly less lofty Finnish delicacy - grilling sausage.
      In the WWF study, 27 grocery items from seven EU states were examined, with reindeer meat and sausage representing foodstuff from Finland. Dark bread, butter, and fish fingers from the United Kingdom, salami from Italy, ham from Spain, and beef from Greece were also included in the research.
     
The most harmful agents were found in fish. One of the most toxic grocery items was a Swedish herring preserve. But artificial chemicals were present in every one of the examined items.
      Fire resistance chemicals were found in meat and cheese products, while the infamous pesticide DDT was present in fish and meat. WWF tested foodstuffs from around Europe for eight different groups of man-made chemicals - organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated chemicals, phthalates, organotins, alkylphenols, and artificial musks.
      According to the WWF report, enjoying the grocery items included in the study does not make one ill. Rather, the organisation expresses its concern over the long-term effects of regular consumption of such food. DDT, for one, is stored in the liver and kidneys.
      Some of the examined chemicals resemble human hormones, and may increase the risk of obesity, various types of cancer, and diabetes.


Links:
  WWF news: "Waiter! - There´s a phthalate in my soup!"
  Chain of Contamination: The Food Link (.pdf file)

Helsingin Sanomat