« … . But there was more to it than the mere fact that business is a swindle. What he realised, and more clearly as time went on, was that money-worship has been elevated into a religion. Perhaps it is the only real religion - the only really felt religion - that is left to us. money is what God used to be. Good and evil have no meaning any longer except failure and success. Hence the profoundly significant phrase, to make good. The decalogue has been reduced to two commandments. One for employers - the elect, the money-priesthood as it were - ‘Thou shalt make money’; the other for the employed - the slaves and the underlings - ‘Thou shalt not lose thy job.’ »

- George Orwell - Keep the Aspidistra Flying

Azodicarbonamide

A plastic product that is used to make yoga mats, shoe soles and other synthetic rubber products is also found in food as well. Azodicarbonamide, despite its ban in the food production in Europe and Australia, is used as an improving agent in baked goods. It can be found in the breads, croissants, buns, bagels and other baked products at the fast food restaurants of McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway, Arby’s, Jack in the Box, Chick-fil-A, and Dunken' Donuts. In the United States and Canada, the use of Azodicarbonamide is permitted to levels of 45 ppm (parts per million). So yes, this is a very dilute concentration of Azodicarbonamide, but it was banned in Europe and Australia because of its links in causing respiratory illnesses among workers that were exposed to the plastic chemical agent.   

An activist and food blogger by the name of Vani Hari (see photo above) petitioned and received over 50,000 signatures for Subway to remove Azodicarbonamide from their foods. Subway agreed but the injustice is not over. Others in the fast food industry have not agreed to remove the plastic chemical from their foods and it is also found, at times, in the take-and-bake breads found at local supermarkets. Many consumers are unaware that they are being exposed to Azodicarbonamide (and other food additives that are also dangerous in the long term). The pervasive use of Azodicarbonamide in foods, and the corporate practice of adding harmful agents into foods in order to ensure longer shelf life, appealing flavors, colors or textures, must end or at least, have greater transparency for those purchasing the foods to make a choice.