The Potassium Iodate Conspiracy
Plot twist involving Tesco
Previously, I had written about how the UK government appears to have sneakily put Potassium Iodate into the food supply under an explicit plan to introduce it into processed foods, such as noodles (instant noodles, to be precise).
Wondering the extent of how broadly this change had been introduced, I set out to investigate various supermarkets. What I found was not only surprising in extent, but there were also plot twists.
Was Potassium Iodate Used Before 2023?
Yes.
In one study from 2021 asking about the risks of Potassium Iodate in Chronic Kidney Disease, they found that Germany loves flavouring many foods with Potassium Iodate.
In many German products, especially in meat derivatives, it was remarkable the use of potassium iodate (KIO3) as flavoring agent salt, instead of sodium or potassium chloride like other countries. […]
One example of a German product, Bebivita Organic Ham Noodles with Vegetables Mix, 220 g contains Potassium Iodate.
This doesn’t explain why Britain has suddenly started to adopt it, however.
Where Was It Found?
The following foods contained Potassium Iodate, most of which either use preserved-meat derivatives or emulate them. This isn’t an exhaustive list.
Peperami Firestick 5 x 20g (100g) [Iceland Supermarket; not to be confused with the country Iceland]
12x Peperami Original Sticks (2 Packs of 6x22.5g) [LowPriceFoods.com]
Iceland Wood-fired Stonebaked Seriously Spicy Hot Sauce Pizza 374g [Iceland Supermarket]
Jack Link's Ham Snack [Ocado]
Nihon ham Japanese Style Sausage 200g [NikanKitchen]
Dino's Famous Big Dogs 1030G [Tesco]
Even vegetable emulations contained Potassium Iodate, such as:
Not Entirely German Origin
However, even non-meat and non-German foods now seem to be adopting Potassium Iodate, including:
Iceland 20% Extra Free Ridiculously Crispy Homestyle Hash Browns 720g [Iceland]
Sharwood's Thai Crackers 60g [Iceland]
Herdez Mexico City Taco Kit 497g [Sainbury’s]
Herdez Yucatan Taco Kit Zingy Citrus Garlic & Coriander 497g [Sainbury’s]
Herdez Barbacoa Taco Kit Smoky Chipotle Black Pepper & Allspice 497g [Sainbury’s]
ASDA Great Shape Meal Replacement Shake Smooth Vanilla Flavour [ASDA]
And of course, the noodles too…
I decided to do an on-the-ground investigation to find out…
Which Supermarket Noodles Contain Potassium Iodate?
Sainbury’s, Co-op, and Marks & Spencer were immediately ruled out, as upon investigation, they did not appear to have their own instant noodle brands.
Waitrose had non-instant noodle brands, but they did not state Potassium Iodate in the ingredients.
Morrisons SAVERS noodles has Potassium Iodate, per previous article, however their unnamed mid-range brand of noodles presently does not mention Potassium Iodate in the ingredients (they’re an older product range, so odds are it is going to get phased out).
German firm Aldi’s ‘instant noodles’ range contained Potassium Iodate…
…as did German firm Lidl’s ‘Newgate Express’ range…
However, it is worth noting Potassium Iodate appeared to be absent from both companies’ version of ‘pot noodles’ when checked in person (Aldi’s you can verify here. Mysteriously, Lidl’s website omits any mention of their pot noodles).
This is crucial to note, because as we’re about to see, this isn’t about German culture.
ASDA Stuffed Potassium Iodate Into All Their Noodles
ASDA (Associated Dairies) — a historically British company — are infamous for adopting every globalist mantra the moment it rolls out.
They recently adopted the creepy “Apeel” technology where they modify the outer shell of their fruits to try to make them last longer (Apeel are financed by the ever evil Bill Gates). They also have genetically modified plants fed to animals as part of their supply chain, and have put genetically modified foods into products historically.
It’ll come as no surprise, then, to find ASDA stuffed Potassium Iodate into all their noodles. Including the pot noodles.
Having previously examined ASDA pot noodles before, I can add a couple of things:
They discontinued the original discount pot noodles which did not contain iodised salt (they used to be ‘plain white’, not yellow)
The depicted noodles above all have new labelling/designs
With Morrisons, ASDA, Aldi and Lidl all adopting it, I investigated the suspicion there was there’s some sort of EU diktat mandating it, per plans to put it into processed foods.
What I actually found shocked me. Another plot twist.
Potassium Iodate Has Been Previously Banned
And, from the most unlikely of sources: the WHO.
Quoting the Guardian:
The World Health Organization has recommended against adding potassium iodate to flour since 1965, yet the EWG lists more than 600 products that include potassium iodate, including Sara Lee hot dog buns, Safeway’s Signature Select whole wheat bread and Oroweat Italian bread.
— Banned bread: why does the US allow additives that Europe says are unsafe?, The Guardian
Their objections stemmed from the fact it would likely create an excessive intake of iodine:
A committee of the World Health Organization concluded that use of potassium iodate as a flour treatment agent was unacceptable because it could result in an excessive intake of iodine.
— Potassium iodate, Center For The Science In The Public Interest
For the record, noodles are typically made out of wheat (flour).
Potassium Iodate has historically been used to replace Potassium Bromate. Bromate has been banned due to being a 2B carcinogen (cancer-causing), and the Indian government eyed Potassium Iodate with deep suspicion, with one group advocating for Potassium Iodate to be banned.
Potassium Iodate is not a naturally occurring chemical, unlike Potassium Iodide.
Potassium iodate (KIO3, CAS Reg. No. 7758-05-6) does not occur naturally but can be prepared by reacting iodine with potassium hydroxide.
— Code of Federal Regulations, FDA
And contrary to The Daily Beagle’s prior article, it can’t meaningfully protect against radioactive iodine, because at those levels it becomes toxic.
[…] the dose recommended for radioprotection of 100 mg of iodine daily over several days (138 mg iodate per day) are close to retinotoxic doses of iodate reported in cases of accidental intoxication. In these doses iodate cannot be recommended. […]
— Iodine-containing medicaments, Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs - The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions
As noted before, Potassium Iodate has a better shelf-life than Potassium Iodine, hence the use in food products.
So if there’s no diktat telling companies to insert Potassium Iodate, and even recommendations to the contrary, what is going on?
Well, one last surprise plot twist.
The Plot Twist With Tesco
For Americans outside of the UK, Tesco is like the ‘Walmart of the UK’. One of the biggest known British supermarket brands. So this is big.
There was an article from 2019 written by the Irish Times that commented that Tesco “Hearty Food Co” ‘Chicken Flavour Instant Noodles’ contained Potassium Iodate.
However this is where the plot twist occurs. The exact same brand does not list Potassium Iodate on the ingredients of their packets:
It only vaguely mentions ‘salt’, which looks suspiciously like a generalised ‘workaround’. This was true of every single flavour and type of Tesco’s own noodles.
This is a problem as Potassium Iodate is toxic for the elderly and safety isn’t established in children or pregnant women:
In elderly people the benefit of stable iodine probably does not outweigh its potential adverse effects, while in pregnant women and infants the benefit to harm balance is not established; rapid evacuation of such people from fallout zones should be given the highest priority (SEDA-11, 358).
— Iodine-containing medicaments, Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs - The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions
It’s also a very curious plot twist in that numerous major UK supermarkets all list Potassium Iodate in their store brand discount noodles, but Tesco, weirdly, does not.
So I did the unthinkable. I conducted a taste test. Not that I trust their horrible foods.
The Taste Test
Given Potassium Iodate has to be given in lower doses than typical salt (0.007% if this ingredients list is to be believed)…
…the taste should be fundamentally different. I think many folks who have noodles will concur they classically have a salty, savoury taste to them.
Not these noodles.
I sampled noodles plain, and three types (ASDA, Morrisons, Tesco) were bland. I also sampled the seasoning packet (Tesco: Southern Fried Chicken Flavour; Morrisons: Mild Curry Flavour, ASDA: Pot Noodle Curry Flavour) with a small dab on my finger, washing between. They all lacked the distinct taste of salt.
In-fact, they tasted suspiciously more sugary, with only the Morrisons one having a slight metallic taste (the classic approximate taste of iodine dilute in water). I compared to baseline with a ‘Pot Noodle’ packet I had from pre-Iodate days which still had a savoury, salty flavour.
Either the Tesco noodles had no salt at all… or the typical salt had been replaced with a lower quantity of Potassium Iodate salt. It is my suspicion that the Tesco noodles still contain Potassium Iodate, but for some reason, they are trying to hide this fact.
What a bizarre Potassium Iodate conspiracy we have going on, dear reader.
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