By U.S. Congressman James J. Delaney
Summary: From the famous New York congressman who chaired the House Select Committee to Investigate the Use of Chemicals in Food Products and who authored the Delaney Clause, which banned chemical food additives proven to cause cancer in animals. In the article, Delaney warns the American people that their food supply is not protected by law from adulteration with potentially lethal additives, as is commonly assumed. "Under the present setup," he writes, "the Food and Drug Administration can act legally only after the food product has been put on the market." While chemicals that cause immediate poisoning are generally known and prohibited, there is "no law to compel testing new chemicals to determine what the cumulative effect would be over a period of time" (a policy that remains to this day). As a result, "many chemicals are used with no real knowledge of what they will do to the human system." Delaney presents several instances of disaster and near disaster resulting from the unregulated use of chemical preservatives and other artificial additives in the American food supply. From American Magazine. Reprint 67, 1951.
View PDF: Peril on Your Food Shelf
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