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Areas of Focus

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Not so g-r-r-reat: How food ads shape the diets of children and teens

Before most kids can spell “nutrition,” they’ve already seen thousands of advertisements for candy-colored cereal, salty snacks and sugary soda. According to a 2024 study , children between the ages...

Toxic substances in your suds? Study finds PFAS in local water used to brew beer

When you open a cold beer, you’re probably thinking about flavor or hops – not whether you’re also sipping the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. But a new study finds that many beers...

Is chewing gum releasing microplastics in your mouth?

Chewing gum is a favorite of high school kids and overworked professionals alike – but just one piece can shed thousands of potentially harmful microplastics into your saliva, one study suggests.

Most counties lose if Congress cuts SNAP to boost farm subsidies, fund tax breaks

Millions of American families could lose access to food assistance if funds are diverted to pay for tax cuts from the wealthy and increased farm subsidies, leading to a funding loss for more than...

Arsenic in brown rice: What you should know

Americans who regularly eat brown rice instead of white may be exposing themselves to higher levels of the heavy metal arsenic, a recent study from Michigan State University finds. The research also...

What is propyl gallate?

Propyl gallate is a preservative used in foods like chewing gum, meat products, vegetable oil and more. It helps prevent fat and oil from spoiling and is frequently used together with the food...

Interactive map: Tracking state food chemical regulation in the U.S.

Thousands of chemicals are allowed for use in food sold in this country. And while most of these are likely safe to eat, some have been linked to serious health harms.

The fight for food reform

For decades, potentially harmful chemicals have been allowed for use in our food, often without proper oversight. EWG has long been working to change that. We’ve joined forces with the Center for...

Despite health harm concerns, BHA and BHT remain in food and cosmetics

Not yet banned in the U.S., the chemicals butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, and butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, can be found in food and cosmetics sold in stores near you.

Beware of the chemical BVO in fruit-flavored drinks

Carbonated orange drinks and fruit-flavored energy drinks contain an ingredient that isn’t in your morning OJ: brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, a chemical that can harm the nervous system.

What is propyl paraben?

How do some cosmetics, medicine and foods, like cinnamon rolls, tortillas and trail mix, last so long on store shelves? They get their longevity thanks to propyl paraben, a preservative that also...

No dyes, no problem: Your favorite snacks will still taste the same without synthetic colors

Processed food and drinks often use artificial dye to boost their appeal, especially if they’re marketed to children and teens. But these colorants have a range of health risks, so some states are...

14 food chemical actions RFK Jr. can take to ‘Make America Healthy Again’

The food we eat should be nourishing and safe. But thousands of chemicals, some of which may be toxic, are allowed in a wide range of products, such as snacks, bread and more.

Today’s special sandwich ingredient: A chemical foaming agent

If you’ve used a yoga mat, taken a phone out of protective padding, or lined an attic with foam insulation, you may have encountered the industrial chemical azodicarbonamide, or ADA.

Consumer Reports testing finds ‘forever chemicals’ in baby formula

The toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS contaminated “almost all” of the popular baby formula brands tested recently by Consumer Reports, it says in a new report.

What is GRAS?

Food and chemical companies are permitted to approve the use of new potentially harmful additives and other substances in snacks, drinks and more without the Food and Drug Administration’s review and...

What are ultra-processed foods?

Most of the foods and drinks the average American consumes may be making them sick.

10 questions for Agriculture Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins

Brooke Rollins, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Agriculture, will testify January 23 before the Senate Agriculture Committee. The panel’s...

A baker’s dozen of food chemicals the FDA should ban next

It’s good news the Food and Drug Administration has decided to ban Red Dye No. 3 from being used in food, as it announced today. But that’s just the start – many other toxic chemicals can still be...

‘Forever chemicals’ in sludge may taint nearly 70 million farmland acres

Nearly 70 million acres of U.S. farmland could be contaminated by the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to estimates from biosolids industry groups. This contamination stems from the...
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