Identify the Dangers of Rapeseed Oil as a Major Allergen

Identify the Dangers of Rapeseed Oil as a Major Allergen

Started
28 April 2020
Petition to
The Government, the FSA, Food Manufacturers, Cosmetics & Toiletries industry, Restaurants,
Signatures: 2,522Next Goal: 5,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Stevie Walshe

Does somebody have to die before we are listened to? Thousands of people, including many children, in the UK (and around the world) are discovering that they are highly allergic or have a considerable intolerance to Rapeseed Oil.

Marketed as the "healthiest" option for us all to use as a cooking oil because it is a good source of healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins and has a high smoke point; surely it's been fully tested for human consumption? Or has it?

With our farmers being heavily subsidised to grow it, originally for bio-diesel as a renewable energy ^1, Rapeseed Oil is now present in a very high proportion of processed foods in the United Kingdom as well as being the 'fashionable' cooking oil used in the majority of restaurants.

Rapeseed Oil, Canola or Colza as it's known in Canada, the US, Spain and other parts of the world, has had a very turbulent history with Rapeseed originally grown as an oil lubricant for machinery not intended for human consumption because of its high erucic acid content which is associated with cardiac injury in animals.^2

Rapeseed has been crossbred before being genetically modified to be pest resistant, to lower the erucic acid content and to eradicate the bitter taste that it naturally possesses (GMO).^3

This genetically modified product is being grown around the world with seed inadvertently finding its way to the UK ^4. The effects of this are still being monitored by DEFRA. So not only is it being unscrupulously marketed as 'healthy', there is a good possibility that our homegrown crops have been contaminated. Firstly by genetically modified seed and secondly by the higher erucic acid Rapeseed crops (HEAR), used for machine lubrication which is often grown alongside the lower erucic acid crops (LEAR) being used for human consumption ^5.

Given that we desperately need to protect our bee populations, we are doing a very good job of endangering our bees with these toxic crops, which are regularly sprayed with insecticides, pesticides and weed killers in the UK.

These new strains of Rapeseed have also been linked to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Cancer, Diabetes and Obesity^6

Even though the Food Standards Agency acknowledges that "Rapeseed Oil is known to cause allergic reactions in some people"^7, Rapeseed Oil is found in the vast majority of products available today, either listed in ingredients as Rapeseed Oil, hidden behind the generic term 'Vegetable Oils' or in E codes including E442 and E471, ranging from bread and cakes to takeaway curries and mayo.

Rapeseed Oil is used to make things more "spreadable" and is used in most spreadable butters and margarines. In fact there aren't many areas that are free from Rapeseed Oil - even tablet coatings used for medication, toothpaste, beauty products and toiletries contain it!

Because of its high smoke point, most restaurants, fish and chip shops and burger bars, will be using it because they have been told it's healthier and it is a great deal cheaper than most other cooking oils. It is also hidden in many bought-in desserts that restaurants serve.

If you've found yourself with any of these unexplained health issues ^8:
Heart palpitations
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Stomach cramps
Diahorrea
Migraine
Anaphylaxis
Fatigue
Rashes
Skin irritations

or coming away from a restaurant and feeling seriously unwell up to circa 4 hours later, take a look at what you've been eating/using lately. Does it contain Rapeseed Oil? The answer is most probably YES!

If you are allergic or intolerant to Rapeseed Oil, your eating choices, places to eat and product choices are significantly reduced and this is leading to not only serious physical problems but serious mental health issues as well.

To put it in perspective, if you have a nut allergy or a shellfish allergy you can avoid consuming these food items in order to remain healthy. But when the vast majority of food products on the supermarket shelves and in restaurants contain an unrecognised allergen called Rapeseed Oil, this is a considerable and dangerous problem.

Perhaps it is time during this period of Covid-19 lockdown, for us to seriously consider the effects of this harmful substance within our food, toiletries and pharmaceutical industries.

We are calling upon the UK Government to:
1. Insist that the FSA identify Rapeseed Oil as a major allergen and a GMO-based product and for its presence in all products to be shown in bold writing.
2. To set a limit on its usage so that people who are allergic or intolerant to Rapeseed Oil have a healthy and balanced choice of food to consume and toiletry products to use.
3. For Rapeseed Oil to be fully tested for human consumption and use, with identified side effects listed and for the testing to be carried out objectively and independently of the Rapeseed Oil/Colza/Canola industry.

Please sign our petition to expose the dangers of this product, to demand full testing for human consumption and acknowledgement of Rapeseed Oil as a major allergen.

Source:
^1: The Times https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/miscellaneous/madsen-pirie-writes-for-the-times-on-eu-subsidy-of-rapeseed
^2: Sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/rapeseed - Encyclopedia (Second edition) 2003
^3: Healthline.com
^4: The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2003/oct/14/food.gm
^5: DEFRA Defra_RG0125_Factors_affecting_crosspillination_finalreport_23Jun08
^6: Smartholistics.co.uk/news-blog/the-dark-side-of-rapeseed-oil/
^7: FSA
^8: Allergy/Intolerance to Rapeseed Oil Facebook group

 

 

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Signatures: 2,522Next Goal: 5,000
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Decision-Makers

  • The Government, the FSA, Food Manufacturers, Cosmetics & Toiletries industry, Restaurants,