Postum | Postum Health Concerns

Postum Health Concerns

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, researchers at the Swedish National Food Administration and Stockholm University reported finding the chemical acrylamide in a variety of fried and oven-baked foods.

Acrylamide is a known carcinogen, considered to promote cancer. A forum thread started at the Kraft Foods message board theorized that Postum was taken off the market because it contained the highest levels of acrylamide in all the foods that were tested. The only problem with that theory is that the levels were only high before the product was brewed. Afterwards, the levels decreased dramatically. The lots that were tested showed levels of 3747 parts per billion (ppb) and 5399 ppb, respectively. The first lot dropped to 93 ppb after brewing, which is much lower than snack foods still on the market, or even breakfast cereals.

It's much more likely that Postum was taken off the market due to low demand. The fault probably lies in the fact that the various owners of the product (as it changed hands) failed to target the right demographics. When was the last time you saw it advertised on television or on the radio? Judging by the huge number of messages in the forums at Kraft Foods, Kraft Foods was probably wrong about the demand. It wouldn't be the first time a large company made a mistake like this.

They irony in all of this is that a lot of people gave up coffee and other drinks that contained caffeine, switching to Postum, after being diagnosed with cancer or gastroesophageal reflux disease. The caffeine exacerbated their problems.

Even though Postum contains no caffeine, it contains carbohydrates. Postum contains 3 grams of carbohydrates per serving while black coffee contains 0 grams. Of course, that count rises for both when ingredients such as sugar and cream are added.


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