A message is going viral across social media claiming that there is a reason why insects don’t fall into packaged flour, which is due to the presence of benzoyl peroxide in flour. The message claims that even though benzoyl peroxide adversely affects the user’s kidneys, flour companies keep using it.
Claim:
The translated text in Hindi is circulating across WhatsApp reads, “Why don’t worms fall in packing flour?? Eye-opening truth.
Try an experiment. Try grinding wheat flour and storing it for 2 months. It is natural for insects to fall into the flour, you will not be able to store the flour. Then how are these big brands able to store flour? This is something to think about. There is a chemical – benzoyl peroxide, which is also known as a ‘flour improver’. “Its permissible limit is 4 mg, but flour-making firms hit up to 400 mg. What is the reason? Save the flour from spoilage for a long time. * Of course, who cares about the consumer’s kidney? Try to buy wheat directly and grind your own flour and eat it. Eat fresh flour, stay healthy… be sensible, be a man for yourself and work by grinding all #wheat. No readymade bag There are three changes:- 1.) Use rock salt, 2.) Grind the flour with the mill and bring it. 3.) Drink water from the pot, drink hot water in the morning… get rid of half the diseases.”
We found that this claim has been circulating for some time across social media such as Koo and Facebook. The viral message targets ITC’s Aashirvaad Atta as well.
It is being widely shared on social media with a similar claim.
Fact Check:
We conducted a keyword search and came across a result for ‘Benzoyl Peroxide’ on BakerPedia. It notes that benzoyl peroxide is an ingredient added to flour in small quantities for oxidising carotenoid pigments in the flour.
The ingredient is used for whitening or bleaching the flour, a part of the usual treatment performed on flour at the mill. Benzoyl peroxide is the main whitening agent used by millers in producing white bread flour for bakery products, BakerPedia adds. The site also adds that it only bleaches flour pigments and does not affect the breadmaking or baking properties.
We came across another result on the website of the Center for Food Safety. The website notes, “Benzoyl peroxide is a food additive that can be used as a flour treatment agent. It oxidizes the naturally-occurring carotenoids in flour, which gives untreated flour a yellowish tint, and whitens the flour as a result. It is often used as some consumers prefer white flour to yellowish ones. When the flour is made into food, most of the benzoyl peroxide is converted to benzoic acid, a commonly-used preservative. The benzoic acid ingested will be excreted in the urine afterwards.”
The Center for Food Safety also quotes International Agency for Research on Cancer, asserting, “Benzoyl peroxide is not classified as a carcinogen. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert committee on Food Additives (JECFA) had evaluated benzoyl peroxide and concluded that the intake of benzoyl peroxide should be considered with other sources of dietary intake of benzoic acid. JECFA also concluded that benzoic acid is of low acute and chronic toxicity, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) has allowed its use in many food types.”
In response to the viral claims, the Twitter page of ITC Cares replied to a consumer regarding the speculated presence of benzoyl peroxide in its flour. In a tweet dated Jan 26, 2021, the company clarified, “Hi, this video alleging that Aashirvaad Atta contains Benzoyl Peroxide is blatantly false. Aashirvaad Atta does not contain any preservatives/additives including Benzoyl Peroxide & is manufactured as per standards prescribed under law. Do not fall prey to such rumors.”
Conclusion:
We found that the viral claim has been circulating across social media and WhatsApp for the past few years. The claim is false as a prominent target of this misinformation campaign, ITC’s Aashirvaad Atta confirmed that no benzoyl peroxide is used in producing their flour. The benzoyl peroxide, if used in flour, is not classified as a carcinogen.
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Fact Check
2023-03-14 10:47:34.0
Is Benzoyl Peroxide Added In Packaged Wheat Flour? No, Viral Claim Is False
