FDA Approved: Paint Thinner in Children’s Cereals
The challenge to be informed about what we are eating grows ever more complex. Many people trust Trader Joe’s as one of the smaller grocery store chains offering higher quality foods without unnecessary additives, and other harmful ingredients that can cause cancer, neurological damage, or developmental delays. But one mom recently found trisodium phosphate, an industrial strength paint thinner in her children’s Trader Joe’s breakfast cereal, and she is wondering what it is doing there. (The ingredient is found in other popular cereals as well).
Trisodium phosphate, otherwise known as trisodium orthophosphate, sodium phosphate, or TSP, is well known by construction workers, DIYers, and developers, but not to most parents shopping for their morning meal. It is an inorganic phosphate which can be detrimental to our health. It is often used in place of mineral spirits to remove paint!
It isn’t just Trader Joe’s that sells cereal containing TSP; it is in hundreds of foods, in dozens of stores, as an ‘additive’ which the FDA has called ‘safe,’ but even the activist environmental group The Clean Water Act has taken steps to limit the use of TSP in cleaning supplies because it damages the environment. Shouldn’t that give pause to the food industry, and make them question why it should be in our food? It shows up in toothpaste, hair color, processed cheeses and meats, canned soups, and even mouthwash. What kind of ‘additive’ is this anyway?
Just some of the minor problems with eating TSP include:
- The reduction of bone density due to mineral leeching
- Calcification of the kidneys
- Serious irritation of gastric mucosa
- Abdominal burning
- Shock
Read: 6 Ingredients Sold in U.S. but Banned in Other Countries
PesticideInfo.org says that this substance should be avoided at all cost. Just as Subway removed a harmful additive to their breads recently due to a blogger’s pressure and subsequent petition, signed by thousands, this substance needs to be removed from all food, or ingestible items – especially cereals or baby toothpaste that children consume.
You can let your local grocery stores know that they shouldn’t carry products which contain TSP. You can boycott items yourself that contain it, or you can tell the FDA just what you think of their ‘safe’ classification of this obvious toxin. Consumers have a right to non-toxic foods, and TSP definitely doesn’t belong in a bowl of your kid’s cereal.
Additional Sources:
 | Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga. |
Trader Joes cereal does not contain TSP, Trisodium Phosphate, it contains Tripotassium Phosphate, an entirely different compound. Check your facts before posting an article condemming a reputable brand.
Lmaro!! I just tooked at my cereal and yup it does contain Trisodium Phosphate…Do me a favour when your in the grocery store look behind lucky charms cereal box, you will be presently surprised on what you find.
My Honey Nut Cheerios has the Tripotassium Phosphate like you said Caitlin.
TSP is not a paint thinner. It’s a general cleaner just like baking soda is. It’s about as dangerous as too much dihydrogen monoxide
Your total ignorance of simple chemistry is disgusting. You write an article to spread fear when you have NO CLUE what you are talking about.
Did you realize inhaling water can be fatal? YET WE GIVE IT TO OUR CHILDREN!! WHAT ARE WE THINKING??
You have no business in front of a computer.
You should be ashamed for lying about TSP. It is a cleaner, not a paint thinner, yet you have not updated nor corrected this fear-mongering article.
ANY chemical can be deadly in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong amount.
A tablespoon of water is sufficient to drown you.
Too much salt, or not enough salt, and you can die.
Potassium chloride can cause instant death, but insufficient potassium can cause? Death.
Awesome. Just fucking awesome.. Fuck the ‘ruling class’.
It’s also in Marshmallows! I was wondering about this ingredient after my daughter wanted me to buy her a pack of marshmallows. Luckily we bought the GMO free vegan kind that doesn’t contain this stuff!
Agreed, but what do we do about it? Throw the bastards out!!!
The FDA is a useless organization that has outgrown their usefulness. They longer protect the American people they were created to serve.
Trisodium phosphate has also been approved for fish and sausages, see http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/gras_notices/grn000300.pdf
Nice to know the FDA continues to watch out for our health…NOT.
Misleading as any other health trash out there. Phosphates, in all forms, are potentially good and bad. You should dig up the fringe BS on every medicine, vitamin, and mineral out there and post those things. Phosphates are REQUIRED for proper metabolism, and just like EVERY substance out there, can be toxic if there is too much. Try posting with some proportion instead of just the one side propaganda, You may end up swaying more people to your views.
Most vitamins are junk unless they’re food based.
I was a painter and paper hanger and used TSP for cleaning before painting and to get heaving paste off walls from wallpaper paste. I had to use gloves and goggles because it burned like hell on skin. I do not think this belongs in our food
i used to paint as well and have used TSP many times. and yes it does burn. i recently went to buy some to pressure wash a house and all they had was “tsp-free” cleaner as the the real deal TSP was too harmful.
Thanks bob. this country was founded on revolutionaries not reactionaries.
VERY disappointing, Trader Joe’s. Booo!
Why just Trader Joes. It’s every grocery store in America that carries these cereals. Trader Joes doesn’t make the cereal and most likely doesn’t have a clue whats in them. There are far worse things in the stores than this. Blame the manufacturers, not the stores.
Hi, Lyn! Welcome to the interwebs :o)
Trisodium phosphate is a granular (or powdered) non-sudsing detergent used to prep surfaces for painting. It’s used before applying paint, typically on wood or building materials, and especially for renovation or remodeling work.
Tsp is not a paint thinner and mineral spirits is not a paint remover, unless your removing a just applied coat. Tsp can and will remove many coatings of the oxidizing type but not conversion finishes such as urethanes. This by no means absolves food producers from incorporating even minute amounts in any foods, or other internally used products. Check to see and report on how many parts per million are in it and while at it – check and see how many parts per million of bugs/insects the fda allows in all cereals? I knew at one time but have forgotten? Any cereal that your not growing yourself and preparing your self is up for analysis, doubt if you’ll find any really clean foods of any type in micro-analysis, everything is killing us, so pick your poisons you’ll never get completely away from industrial contamination, nuclear fusion has seen to that.
In a way what you say is true, but TSP is used to clean and prep old painted walls before repainting. It has been around since the 1970’s and has been recommended by many paint stores for that purpose.
And it was touted in Maryland to clean the walls of Lead Paint Infected Homes. Now they say use any old detergent. I used to use it to clean the cast iron tubs prior to refinishing them!
Whatever part per million it is unnecessary to consume it! Look up NEW WORLD ORDER, or just have a look see at your dollar bill! Killing souls is their business. It ain’t about money. The Rothschilds have over half the world’s wealth. It’s about getting you to take part in their Satanic system and winning souls to Satan.
‘you’re’.. 🙂
They are no less safe than the lead and mercury natural and homeopathic product manufacturers put into their products that are not evaluated by the FDA and that make no promise to cure, treat, or prevent any disease. At least the FDA will prevent these substances from knowingly being put into food sold at stores, but there have been many instances where I have picked up so called natural and homeopathic products to read the label and find that they in fact contain lead and mercury. Seriously…, who thinks it’s a good idea to put mercury in toothpaste???