food additives

A suit has been filed against the maker of Skittles over titanium dioxide, a color additive that has been on the market for decades but which has been banned in food by European authorities.

Deborah Blum's book, The Poison Squad, tells how Harvey Washington Wiley and his band of chemists crusaded to remove toxins, such as arsenic and borax, from food. How? By testing them on volunteers.

The Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of several synthetic flavoring compounds used to infuse flavors such as mint and cinnamon in foods. Environmental groups sued, citing cancer risks.

The FDA has issued a warning letter to Kind about the labeling of its fruit-and-nut snack bars. It argues that the bars contain too much fat to bear the label "healthy" printed on the wrapper.

The food system is awash in chemicals and additives. One woman has made a career out of investigating them. But a cadre of critics says she's creating more confusion than clarity about food.