Talk:Azodicarbonamide/Archive 1

Controversy
Hello. I recently added the following section, covering Vani Hari's campaign to get Subway to stop using the molecule as an ingredient:


 * In February 2014, blogger Vani Hari launched a campaign to force Subway into removing azodicarbonamide from their bread. Hari claimed that the molecule was not meant to be in food, as it is used in the production of yoga mats and shoe soles (Hari frequently referred to the molecule as the "yoga mat chemical". She also claimed that the molecule has been linked to asthma and is banned in several countries, such as Australia, Singapore and Europe. Her petition gathered over 50 000 signatures in the first 24 hours, eventually reaching over 100 000. Hari also stated that: "When you look at the ingredients, if you can’t spell it or pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t eat it." Subway then announced that it was already in the process of eliminating azodicarbonamide as an ingredient.


 * However, Hari was heavily criticised for the campaign. There were no studies showing that the molecule can be a factor in asthma when ingested. Instead, the studies cited by Hari focused on factory workers breathing high levels of the molecule. There is also little evidence to suggest that the molecule is dangerous in the amounts present in bread. Critics have also stated that a molecule can be safely used for several different purposes, and have accused Hari of basing her campaign on "the ick factor" instead of science. Studies have also shown that azodicarbonamide reacts quickly with the other ingredients in bread and quickly disappears. The European Food Safety Authority also found that the risk to consumers from semicarbazide, a by-product of azodicarbonamide, was very small. Hari was also criticised for singling out Subway, when the molecule is used by over 100 companies.

Jytdog then reverted the edit, stating that it was "trvia from the blogosphere." (dif) The campaign received major coverage and the petition reached over 100 000 signatures. It seems to me as if the campaign is notable and relevant (at the very least, if not here, on Hari's article). Care to comment? Merci beaucoup! NHCLS (talk) 18:09, 1 May 2015 (UTC)


 * foodbabe is a flake and her fussing is not encyclopedia-worthy at all in my view. was really disappointed to see this.  i could see some very very brief mention of this, but that addition was way WP:UNDUE.  in a year no one will have even remembered this. Jytdog (talk) 18:22, 1 May 2015 (UTC)
 * So would you say this is better suited on the Vani Hari page itself? (And yes, I also think she's a flake...) Merci beaucoup! NHCLS (talk) 18:26, 1 May 2015 (UTC)
 * I worked on the vana hari article for a while but that page got too ugly so i walked away. there was content about this stuff in that article, for a while... a short paragraph, i believe, with her claim, Subway's reaction, and a statement of reality. (it is hard to manage content at the intersection of the two policies, WP:BLP and WP:PSCI; WP:BLPFRINGE addresses the intersection directly but folks interpret that guideline differently) Jytdog (talk) 18:47, 1 May 2015 (UTC)


 * While the emphasis on Hari is a problem with the proposed text, some mention of the controversy is warranted. As another example of the notability of this issue, Charles Schumer has called for a ban http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/02/food-advocates-call-on-fda-to-ban-potentially-carcinogenic-bread-additive/#.VZ4MtMZViko
 * a kerfluffle a year ago, and yes politicians make Serious Pronouncements sometimes in response to kerfluffles. Was anything actually done at the FDA in response to Hari - did they open a new review?  Not that I am aware of. Jytdog (talk) 11:44, 9 July 2015 (UTC)