# Sulphur Dioxide in dried fruit: Is it harmful?



## ajapale

I bought some dried whole pitted apricots in a health shop today.

A note at the back of the pack says *This product contains Sulphur Dioxide*.

Is Sulphur Dioxide harmful?

Thanks,
aj


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## brodiebabe

[broken link removed]

Google Sulphur in dried fruit and you will find a load of info!


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## Vanilla

Find this annoying myself as I have been on the lookout for dried apricots without sulpher for Vanilla Junior Senior to no avail. If you find any in the area, please let me know Ajapale.


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## ClubMan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide
[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]


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## coleen

i buy dried fruit in lidl and it does not have any additives at least that is what it says


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## ClubMan

The bags of _Lidl _mixed dried fruit (apple, apricot, prune, pear etc.) *do *contain _SO2 _as a preservative (with the exception of one of the items of fruit contained therein for some reason). I mix their stuff in with fresh fruit and eat them every day for the past year and a half.


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## Missy

Vanilla said:
			
		

> Find this annoying myself as I have been on the lookout for dried apricots without sulpher for Vanilla Junior Senior to no avail. If you find any in the area, please let me know Ajapale.


Hi there
I find unsulphured apricots at my local health food store. They are very dark brown in colour and have a very distinctive taste, nicer than the sulphured ones imo. The sulphur stops them from discolouring as they dry apparently.
M


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## Petal

Sulphites are added as preservatives to avoid enzymatic browning and also as an anti-fungicide. Any kind of dried fruit that is nice and colourful, rather than brown-ish, will have sulphites added to it. Almost all the health food stores stock dried fruit without sulphite preservatives. A lot of other foods contain sulphites, too. You should always read the label and look for the relevant E number if you want to avoid certain additives. Sulphites as such are not particularily harmful, but some people might be sensitive to it, in particular people with asthma.


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## ClubMan

Petal said:
			
		

> A lot of other foods contain sulphites, too.


And many (most?) wines, at least of those commonly sold in _Ireland_.


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## Petal

I think pretty much all red wines definitely contain sulphites (in and outside Ireland). This will have to be labelled from now on though.


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## ClubMan

Sorry - I meant sulphites over and above those that naturally occur (i.e. deliberately added for preservation purposes). 

[broken link removed]


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## woods

Dried apricots should be brown and the only reason that they add the chemicals is because they are convinced that we want them to be orange.
If we all refused to buy the orange ones and only bought the brown ones (as I do ) then they would drop the habit.


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## ClubMan

But we obviously don't. And my understanding is that _SO2 _is not necessarily hamful to most people (other than some asthmatics and/or others with intolerances to it).


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> But we obviously don't. And my understanding is that _SO2 _is not necessarily hamful to most people (other than some asthmatics and/or others with intolerances to it).


Well if you feel that good about it then I suggest that you add it to all your food. I intend to give it a miss because I respect my body and I do not want to get cancer.


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## ClubMan

No complaints after years of eating dried fruit containing _SO2 _as a preservative. Can you point me to any independent objective evidence of _SO2 _preservative as a primary cause of cancer in humans by any chance? 

This link might be of interest to you:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts116.html#bookmark06


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## ajapale

Thanks for all the information and discussion. I think I'll spend some time researching the issue!


aj


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> No complaints after years of eating dried fruit containing _SO2 _as a preservative. Can you point me to any independent objective evidence of _SO2 _preservative as a primary cause of cancer in humans by any chance?


I make a point of not including additives in my diet. There are lots of things that have not been proven to give you any disease but then they said that about DDT in the fifties and sixtes. Just one example of many.


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## ClubMan

woods said:
			
		

> I make a point of not including additives in my diet.


 What precisely do you mean by "additives"? Are you saying that you never consume any foods with *any*,  for example, colouring/preservative/falvouring additives? Are you saying that you avoid even additives that are regulated by the relevant _Irish _and _EU _authorities in terms of safety and limits and which represent no risk to health? Do you grow all of your own food so that you can be sure that there are no unwanted additives?


> There are lots of things that have not been proven to give you any disease but then they said that about DDT in the fifties and sixtes. Just one example of many.


 I don't think that _DDT _was ever used as a food additive but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, getting back to _SO2 _I take it that you cannot point to any evidence that it causes cancer or that it represents a health risk to anybody other than some athmatics and others with an allergy/reaction to it?


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> What precisely do you mean by "additives"? Are you saying that you never consume any foods with *any*, for example, colouring/preservative/falvouring additives? Are you saying that you avoid even additives that are regulated by the relevant _Irish _and _EU _authorities in terms of safety and limits and which represent no risk to health? Do you grow all of your own food so that you can be sure that there are no unwanted additives?
> I don't think that _DDT _was ever used as a food additive but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, getting back to _SO2 _I take it that you cannot point to any evidence that it causes cancer or that it represents a health risk to anybody other than some athmatics and others with an allergy/reaction to it?


You are correct in your assumption. I do not take any additives because I do not eat any processed foods. I try to buy as much of my fruit and veg organic (what I do not grow myself) and anything that I have to buy non organic (does not happen very often) I use Vegewash on to remove as much of the pesticides as possible. I do not use toiletries or cosmetics other than a shower wash that I get in the health food store and a crystal deoderant.
I am saying that I do this because I believe that just because the EU says that it is OK does not make it so and there have been many times that this has been proven to our detriment in the past. This is the reason that I introduced to DDT debate. 
Dont forget that our authorities said that Thalidomide was safe for pregnant mothers.
I have taken responsibility for my own health and make my own decisions because I am the one that has to live with the consequences and I do not trust and group of people to controle my health when I know the pressure that is being put on them by the lobbyiests from Monsanto and the big food companies.
They are paying a fortune to get some of these additives added to the approved list and the US government and putting further pressure on the EU to drop our already low standards so that the giant US companies will benifit.
I am not being paranoid and I am sitting in front of a computer screne that I know is bad for my health (listening to 2FM which has to be bad for me) but I know the risks that I take in life and I want me to decide if it is one worth taking and if I will get more from it than I will loose.
I will not gain one thing from having my dried apricots orange instead of brown so why take even the tinyest risk, however negligable (and it is bigger than that).
As for your comment about DDT not being a food additive. There are lots more ways that a substance has for finding it's way into your body than in food. I recall about 30 years ago reading about talcum powder being found in peoples kidneys having travelled up through other openings.


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## ajapale

The shop suggested I contact *Munster Wholefoods based in Farranfore in Co Kerry *to see if they have an "SO2-free" range of dried fruit.


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## ClubMan

woods said:
			
		

> I use Vegewash on to remove as much of the pesticides as possible.


Why don't you just peel them instead?


> I am saying that I do this because I believe that just because the EU says that it is OK does not make it so and there have been many times that this has been proven to our detriment in the past. This is the reason that I introduced to DDT debate.
> Dont forget that our authorities said that Thalidomide was safe for pregnant mothers.


 This is not correct in relation to the _EU _and, in fact, the first _EU _directives on the regulation of pharmaceuticals in 1965 were (at least in part) driven by the goal of preventing the sort of situations which arose in relation to _Thalidomide_ prior to that. See [broken link removed] for some facts on the matter. 


> I am not being paranoid


 Did somebody insinuate that you were?


> and I am sitting in front of a computer screne that I know is bad for my health


 How is your computer screen bad for your health?


> I will not gain one thing from having my dried apricots orange instead of brown so why take even the tinyest risk, however negligable (and it is bigger than that).


 You *still *have not said how _SO2 _is supposedly dangerous especially in the concentrations in such foodstuffs.


> I recall about 30 years ago reading about talcum powder being found in peoples kidneys having travelled up through other openings.


 Care to substantiate that one while you're at it?


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Care to substantiate that one while you're at it?


Oh sure. I keep all the papers and magazines that I have read in the past 30 years. Why don't you just wait there and I will pop up to the attic and dig it out.


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## ClubMan

If this issue was true and significant then I'm sure that there would be some records of it on the internet. In the absence of any objective evidence that it is true I for one will have to assume that it's some sort of urban legend and/or perhaps the product of somebody's overactive imagination.

Feel free to ignore the other points and questions that I raised.


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> You *still *have not said how _SO2 _is supposedly dangerous especially in the concentrations in such foodstuffs.


It is obvious that you do not want to get the message and that is fine with me. My aim is that I have a healthy and happy life. I want to stack the deck as much as I can in my favour. I am not saying that I have all the answers but that I want to take advantage of every edge that I can. So far I am beating the odds and and am probably one of the few people of my age who can say that they have not taken any medication in the past 10 years (even an asprin) because I do not need to. I have no ailements and never get sick.
I would wish the same for you (and everybody else on this board and country) but it is in your hands and not in mine.


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Why don't you just peel them instead?


I have tried peeling lettuce and spinach but it is a bitch so I gave up and just used the vege wash. It was tested by the consumer association (who I think and independant) and they found that it was benificial so I consider it just another tool in my armory.


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## ClubMan

I do get the message. You are happy to believe and insinuate that _SO2 _as a food preservative and to ignore any requests to substantiate those beliefs and insinuations. You previously linked _SO2 _to cancer and insinuated that it is somehow harmful to health but have provided absolutely no evidence to back this up.


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Feel free to ignore the other points and questions that I raised.


Sorry. I am not the fastest at typing in the country ( a talent that I have always envied in others but never had the patience to develop) but I will get around to them.


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## ClubMan

woods said:
			
		

> I have tried peeling lettuce and spinach but it is a bitch so I gave up and just used the vege wash. It was tested by the consumer association (who I think and independant) and they found that it was benificial so I consider it just another tool in my armory.


This points up one of the issues with assuming that organic is necessarily healthier/better than mass produced foodstuffs. Organic does not mean totally fertiliser or pesticide free so you still have to take such precautions if you feel that these represent a health risk even in the concentrations shown by clinical trials to be safe.


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> I do get the message. You are happy to believe and insinuate that _SO2 _as a food preservative and to ignore any requests to substantiate those beliefs and insinuations. You previously linked _SO2 _to cancer and insinuated that it is somehow harmful to health but have provided absolutely no evidence to back this up.


I linked additives to cancer. I no longer differentiate between them. I gave them all up years ago so I do not need to follow the politics of which company can now have theirs passed so that they can feed them to an unsuspecting population.
Join me. You will feel far better for it in the long run.


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> This points up one of the issues with assuming that organic is necessarily healthier/better than mass produced foodstuffs. Organic does not mean totally fertiliser or pesticide free so you still have to take such precautions if you feel that these represent a health risk even in the concentrations shown by clinical trials to be safe.


I think that the figures are somthing in the region of 5% of organic has residues against 85% for non organic.

This list was found in the "Organic Food for Less" article in Organic Style.  You can also download a pocket guide with the same info from the Environmental Working Group here.
FOOD HIGH IN PESTICIDES
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Chile peppers
Imported grapes
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tomatoes

FOOD LOW IN PESTICIDES
Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Eggplants
Grapefruit
Kiwifruits
Mangoes
Okra
Onions
Papayas
Pineapples
Plums
Radishes
Watermelons


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## ClubMan

woods said:
			
		

> I linked additives to cancer. I no longer differentiate between them.


 That does not make any sense to me at all. In any case the discussion was about _SO2 _specifically earlier and you introduced the issue of cancer in spite of there being no evidence that _SO2 _is harmful (other than to the minority of people who have intolerances to it) never mind carcinogenic.


> I think that the figures are somthing in the region of 5% of organic has residues against 85% for non organic.


 For somebody who makes a point of buying organic you seem surprisingly vague and possibly ill informed on this matter. A quick browse around suggests to me that the figures are more like 23% and 73% (see  for details of a report that is widely quoted/referred to elsewhere).


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## woods

ClubMan said:
			
		

> For somebody who makes a point of buying organic you seem surprisingly vague and possibly ill informed on this matter.


Well I guss it is not an exact science. It would be great if every shop had a machine that you could pop your produce into and it came up with a reading on pestitude levels but untill that day they will just have to give us these vague figures and we will have to be gratefull for even having this small titbit of info to help us to make our judgements.


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## delgirl

woods said:
			
		

> I do not take any additives because I do not eat any processed foods. I try to buy as much of my fruit and veg organic (what I do not grow myself) and anything that I have to buy non organic (does not happen very often) I use Vegewash on to remove as much of the pesticides as possible.


Couldn't agree more with you woods, I think if more people looked into what they are actually ingesting, they would think twice about the amount of chemicals / additives / prevervatives etc. in their food.

Take Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, for example, or Trans Fats as they're also called.  [broken link removed] are even worse for the heart and blood vessels than saturated fats and their use has been banned in Denmark.

I didn't know what they were until I saw a documentary on TV and then began checking labels in the supermarket.  We eat very little processed food and also cook everything from scratch and use Vegewash, etc.  The only things we did eat, and fed to our child, were biscuits and the odd cake and they all have Trans Fats in them.

There is a growing [broken link removed] to have these dangerous fats removed from processed food - large companies, such as [broken link removed] and [broken link removed] are already scrambling to remove them from their own-label products.

Needless to say, the processed food industry is against removing them from foodstuffs as they prolong shelf life significantly.


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## woods

I know Delgirl. 
The greatest pity is that most people do not actually care. They think that the health problems that they will have down the road are so far in to the future that they do not have to consider them now and it is not worth sacrificing the immediate gratification for. 
The reality is that the time has arrived for me to begin to experience those problems and I am not having them because I have been carefull. My Weight is low and my blood pressure is low and I have never had a headache in my life. I wake up in the morning and I feel great. No crappy hydrogenated food tastes good enough to sacrifice this feeling for.


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## tiroileain

While a lot of people don't care, I think more and more people do care. I generally won't buy anything with artificial additives or processed fats or anything else that I don't what it is. Can drive my wife crazy sometimes, but to me food should be food. I know a lot of people who are the same. 

But I don't think good food is enough without also having a healthy state of mind and getting plenty of exercise


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## woods

tiroileain said:
			
		

> But I don't think good food is enough without also having a healthy state of mind and getting plenty of exercise


I am not as good on the exercise as I should be but hope to do better. I know that it is important and I will get there.


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## Petal

Just to add a bit to this discussion. There is food additives and there is food additives.. Some of them are added to make food more appealing - colours, taste enhancers, etc and I do agree that we can do without them. Others do very much serve a purpose. Take for example nitrites which are added to prevent the growth of clostridium botulinum, a very nasty bacteria, which can produce toxins that kill in a very unpleasant way at minute quantities. And going on to pesticides - almost all crops are affected by different species of funghi. Some of them produce toxins, one of which is amongst the most toxic substances known to man. I think there is a general misconception amongst people that all that is natural is healthy and safe, when actually almost all of the most toxic substances are found in nature.
I entirely agree that one should avoid processed foods, but mainly because of the amount of fats, sugars and salt added to these and the low conent of nutrients. If you have a varied diet and get enough fruit, veg and fibre into you, you should be ok. The body is like a machine, if you give it the best fuel, it does the job.


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