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fter PFAS, now comes cadmium. The recent report by ANSES, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, revealed that people are overexposed to this heavy metal, which can damage kidneys, weaken bones and increase cancer risk. As this toxic substance ends up in our bodies through the consumption of cereals and potatoes, the most pessimistic already imagine the French having to give up their iconic baguette.
This is not the first time bread has found itself at the center of a scandal. In August 1951, the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit, with its 4,500 residents, was struck by a strange affliction: within a week, seven people had died, around 10 had tried to throw themselves out of windows, 50 men and women of all ages, suffering from hallucinations, were committed to psychiatric hospitals and 200 others, experiencing severe poisoning, were rushed to hospital. Once the initial panic subsided, the culprit was quickly identified: All the victims had eaten the same bread. People first blamed ergot of rye or contaminated water from the baker, before discovering that the miller had used toxic chemicals to fight pathogens and whiten the flour.
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How food scandals are fueling anxiety: 'I feel like the whole planet is contaminated'
