Understanding: Generally Recognized as Safe
I bought a COSTCO barbecued chicken yesterday. Little did I suspect that it would lead to an article.
Discovery at Costco: TSP in Barbecued Chicken
I noticed yesterday that Costco barbecued chicken lists trisodium phosphate (TSP) on the ingredient label. My wife assures me that this is commonplace. I'm appalled. What kind of mad food chemist would even think of putting detergent into chicken as a food additive? No matter what its properties, it's a chemical that is toxic. And industry claims that additives are generally regarded as safe are quite bogus.
This is coming out now in the new Trump era, with RFK Jr. leading the charge. Of course, there are a number of other mystery chemicals listed on the package. I had not looked at barbecue chicken labels before and assumed it was just chicken. I wish RFK Jr. success in his campaign to make America healthy again. He will be taking on some very rich and powerful interests.
It's too bad that so many on the left (my former compatriots) cannot see past their own noses on this. They let their Trump Derangement Syndrome get in the way of common sense (note: I am not a big fan of the man, but have a more informed and nuanced view of him, I think).
Industrial Chemicals in Everyday Food
Many people are surprised to find industrial-sounding chemicals in something as seemingly simple as a rotisserie chicken. The food processing industry often uses additives that would alarm most consumers—if they paid attention. TSP is a degreaser and cleaning agent in other contexts, but in food, it's often used in very small amounts as a pH stabilizer or to improve moisture retention.
The line between what’s "safe" and what’s simply "approved for use" is a bogus one.
The Flawed GRAS System
The phrase Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) has become a kind of blanket justification, but its foundation is questionable. Many GRAS substances were approved under regulatory frameworks that don't reflect modern toxicological science or account for cumulative exposure.
Critics argue that conflicts of interest, outdated testing, and lax oversight make GRAS less reliable than industry claims suggest. RFK Jr.’s campaign taps into these concerns. He’s focusing on health, environmental toxins, and regulatory capture—issues that cut across traditional political lines.
Ideological Blind Spots and Health Policy
RFK Jr. is engaging with real questions about health policy and corruption. Many avoid grappling with that because of ideological blind spots.
Mainstream narratives often flatten complex figures into caricatures—especially when someone challenges entrenched interests in health, food, and environmental policy.
RFK Jr.’s Longstanding Critique of Corporate Power
RFK Jr.’s critiques of regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and industrial agriculture are longstanding and rooted in a broader skepticism of corporate and government collusion.
The fact that RFK Jr. has been consistent on issues like environmental toxins, public health risks, and corporate overreach puts him in a different category than how he’s typically portrayed. The dismissal from both media and many on the left seems less about engaging with his actual arguments and more about guilt-by-association tactics.
The Normalization of Toxic Additives
RFK Jr.’s positions on food safety and public health resonate with concerns about things like TSP in food. The fact that such additives are normalized, and the public is kept largely unaware or misinformed, is exactly the kind of systemic problem he’s been pointing out for years.
The Campaign Against RFK Jr.
RFK Jr. has been the target of a sustained, coordinated campaign by both Big Pharma and Big Food interests—along with their media allies. His challenges to vaccine safety, regulatory capture, environmental pollution, and toxic food additives directly threaten industries with immense financial stakes.
The propaganda aimed at discrediting him isn’t subtle: it paints him as anti-science or dangerous, effectively shutting down debate rather than addressing his actual arguments.
Smear Campaigns and Media Distortion
The pattern is familiar: when someone threatens entrenched power—particularly the profit streams of massive industries—the pushback comes hard. Smear campaigns, character assassinations, and media distortions replace real engagement with the evidence and arguments.
RFK Jr. has been raising legitimate concerns for decades—about mercury in vaccines, glyphosate in agriculture, and toxic chemicals in food and water. His positions invite scrutiny not because they’re wrong, but because they’re a threat to industries that rely on public ignorance and regulatory complicity.
Destroying Credibility to Avoid Debate
The intensity of the propaganda against him is telling. If his arguments were easily refuted, the focus would be on dismantling them through open debate. Instead, the strategy is to destroy his credibility so the substance of his message is never considered.
Yup you got it, the food chain is irreparably polluted, with big money interested in keeping it that way. Your only option is growing your own food, rise chcikens and/or buy from local trusted farmer.