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What to Know About Phosphates, the Food Additive That’s in (Almost) Everything You Eat

At this point, most of us are pretty canny about shady food additives in our food (ahem, high-fructose corn syrup, much?). But there are still some sneaky ingredients that we as consumers often are still in the dark about, like phosphates.

Did you hear crickets when reading that word? Don't blame you. It's a very common food additive, present in lots of packaged foods, but it's been flying under the radar for years. Yet a growing number of studies link it to some pretty undesirable side effects, from heart disease to early death (gulp).

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Featured

 Phosphates in Foods: The Hidden Dangers

Phosphorus is the second most abundant mineral in the body after calcium, and it plays a key role in various biologic processes including energy metabolism and bone and teeth mineralization. It is also involved in cell wall construction and stabilization of the blood’s pH value. The body absorbs as much of the mineral as it needs from foods containing phosphates. Any excess which cannot be processed is excreted by the kidneys in undigested form.

Articles of Interest

Phosfate

Filmmaker Erik E. Crown joins local water activists to investigate accelerated cancer rates and other illnesses in central Florida communities, tracing the source to phosphate mining.

What Are Phosphates & Why Are They In Products?

“Phosphates” has become one of those scary-sounding substances that has some people worried. But really it’s phosphate additives people should be wary of.

Additive may increase cancer risk, says study

Phosphate helps build bones, teeth, muscle, and even DNA, but greater use of the additive by food companies has led to health questions. One survey found the amount of phosphate in people's diets rose 17% in the 10 years up to 1993. Use of the additive has soared due to its versatility in improving foods. It is a leavening agent in cakes, it retains moisture in meat, and it is used in fizzy drinks, milkshakes, fruit juice, tinned seafood and cheese.

America's Frightening Phosphate Problem

Florida is home to the majority of phosphate-mining operations in the United States — and the United States is the world's third-leading producer of phosphate rock. Making matters worse, Florida also has the majority of the industry’s radioactive waste, phosphogypsum — one billion tons.

Digging Deeper – Sodium Aluminum Phosphate

Are you familiar with the ingredient, sodium aluminum phosphate? Over the years, it's been identified by some as an ingredient that causes harm. This post explores this ingredient's safety to see if sodium aluminum phosphate poses a health risk.

Is Sodium Phosphate in Food Unhealthy?

Sodium phosphate is an additive that intensifies flavors, keeps meats moist and prevents crystals from forming in canned tuna. High blood phosphate levels might cause adverse effects, especially in people with chronic kidney disease. However, if you're otherwise healthy, breathe easy — the FDA has classified it as generally recognized as safe.

Morrocco rated phosphate kingdom of the world

Morocco is home to the world’s biggest known deposits of phosphate, used in fertilizer, detergent, food additives, and more recently lithium-ion batteries.

Phosphate

Phosphate rock is a general term referring to rock with high concentrations of phosphate minerals, most commonly those of the apatite family with the general formula Ca5(PO4CO3)3(F,OH,Cl). Ninety percent of phosphate mined is used to produce chemical fertilisers. Phosphorus is one of the three major nutrients required by plants, controlling the transfer and storage of energy at the cellular level and playing an important role in metabolic processes.

Phosphate Additives in Food—a Health Risk

More recent studies have shown that the association between high phosphate concentrations and higher mortality is not restricted to persons with renal disease; it can also be observed in persons with cardiovascular disease and even in the general population.

Radioactive Material From Fertilizer Production

When processing phosphate rock to make fertilizer, the phosphorous is removed by dissolving the rock in an acidic solution. The waste that is left behind is called phosphogypsum. Most of the naturally-occurring uranium, thorium and radium found in phosphate rock ends up in this waste. Uranium and thorium decay to radium and radium decays to radon, a radioactive gas. Because the wastes are concentrated, phosphogypsum is more radioactive than the original phosphate rock.

Roundup’s Other Problem: Glyphosate is Sourced from Controversial Mines

As concern over the health and environmental risks of the most-used herbicide mount, the ecological impact of its sourcing from phosphate mines are equally problematic.

The Right Chemistry: Phosphate additives in food, and your health

Phosphates are essential for health, and occur naturally in plants and animals. But too much of a good thing can be a problem.

Why phosphate additives will be the next taboo ingredient

Mark my words, phosphate additives will be the trans fats of the future; at one time prevalent throughout our food supply, and eventually banned due to overwhelming evidence of their negative impact on human health.

Resources

Phosphate (Phosphorus) Blood Test + Low Levels

Phosphorus is mainly found as phosphate in the body. The terms phosphate and phosphorus are often used interchangeably, although they don’t have the same meaning [2, 3]. Phosphorus is an atom, while phosphate is made when phosphorus is bound to oxygen (4 oxygen atoms).