Why is Dannon adding itsy bitsy pieces of metal to its yogurt?

What do you like mixed in with your yogurt?

Strawberries, blueberries, or maybe some bananas or nuts?

Well, how about some metal. That’s what Dannon, and a bunch of other food companies are adding to their products.

It’s called “nanotechnology,” and it means the science of very small things. Very, very small.

The nano particles of titanium dioxide Dannon is adding to its Greek yogurt — for the super important purpose of making it whiter — may be small, but that doesn’t mean safe.

Because in science, size does matter.

And here’s where the FDA comes in. Or, actually doesn’t come in!

Two years ago the agency put out a draft report about adding these minuscule “extra” ingredients to food. And it said in that document that “nano-engineered food substances” can behave very differently, and that all this new technology may “raise new safety issues.”

So instead of making food companies prove these nano ingredients are safe before they get put in food, the FDA said it would be a good idea for them to do some research. No rush with that…whenever!

Kristi Arnold is one consumer who is so riled up about the practice, she started an online petition asking Dannon to “stop adding metal to our yogurt!”

And the response she’s getting isn’t “nano” at all. So far over 26,000 thousand people have signed.

Arnold says that “the risk of ingesting tiny metals is unknown.” And, she adds, “totally unnecessary!”

Sources:

“Big Dairy is putting microscopic pieces of metal in your food” Tom Philpott, May 28, 2014, Mother Jones, motherjones.com

“Dannon: Stop adding metal to our yogurt!” Kristi Arnold, Care2 Petition Site, thepetitionsite.com