Forever Chemicals Found in Popular Supermarket Foods — Including Brands Like Annie's Organic and Del Monte
Plasticizers were found in nearly every food item — from fruit to pastas
Getty Images; General Mills
Forever chemicals have been found in many popular supermarket staples.Phthalates — aka, “forever chemicals” — have been found in several well-known food brands, including organic brands that are often marketed to children.
The chemicals were found in diet staples including Del Monte sliced peaches, Chicken of the Sea pink salmon, Fairlife Core Power high-protein chocolate milkshakes, Yoplait Original French vanilla low-fat yogurt, and Chef Boyardee Beefaroni pasta, according to recent testing of the supermarket staples by Consumer Reports.
The food item with the highest phthalate levels was Annie’s Organic cheesy ravioli.
The type of phthalate found is commonly known as plasticizer, which is meant to make plastic more pliable. But as the outlet noted, the type of packaging didn’t seem to affect the phthalate content; meaning these chemicals are being introduced into the food at other points in its production and not necessarily leaching into the food via packaging.
What’s not up for debate: The undeniably harmful impact of these chemicals, as the National Institute of Health says.
“Phthalates are a series of widely used chemicals that demonstrate to be endocrine disruptors and are detrimental to human health,” the NIH points out. “Chronic exposure to phthalates will adversely influence the endocrine system and functioning of multiple organs, which has negative long-term impacts on the success of pregnancy, child growth and development, and reproductive systems in both young children and adolescents.”
Consumer Reports also tested popular fast food items, finding high levels of phthalates in Wendy’s crispy chicken nuggets, a Chipotle chicken burrito, and a Burger King Whopper with cheese.
They were also found in infant food, Cheerios, and pancake syrup.
PEOPLE reached out to General Mills, which makes Cheerios and also owns Annie's.
"Food safety is our top priority at General Mills," said spokesperson Mollie Wulff. "We review the ingredients and packaging we buy and the companies that supply them on a regular cadence. All our products tested in the report meet regulatory requirements.”
As the CDC points out, phthalates “are in hundreds of products, such as vinyl flooring, lubricating oils, and personal-care products (soaps, shampoos, hair sprays).”
The pervasiveness of these forever chemicals have been making headlines as more are being discovered in common food and drink items, as well as personal care products.
This past summer, the Environmental Protection Agency disclosed that harmful forever chemicals were found in the tap water of 26 million Americans, and a class of toxic flame retardant chemicals was found in a wide sampling of breast milk.
And this spring, cancer-causing chemicals were found in many popular brands of contact lenses.
Related: Weed-Killing Chemical Found in Majority of Americans' Urine, New CDC Study Finds
"Unlike a plane crash, where everyone dies at once, the people who die from these die over many years," Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and the director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College, told Consumer Reports.
"As a first step, the key is to determine how widespread the chemicals are in our food supply," Dr. James E. Rogers, who oversees testing for Consumer Reports said. "Then we can develop strategies, as a society and individually, to limit our exposure."
PEOPLE reached out to General Mills for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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