Food and Herbal Additives
In the past it was a very common thing for people to get sick from food due to the fact that there was not great refrigeration and things of that nature. Of course I am talking about in the late 1800s and early 1900s when an ice box was the only real way to get any refrigeration. Salt curing meats and growing your own vegetables to can would be how you would steer clear from getting sick from toxic or spoiled foods. One would think that with all sorts of technologies that food allergies and illnesses would be no more, especially if those problems are stemmed by the additives and hormones that food processors and plants are incorporating into meats and such.
The problem is that everyone is looking to make an extra buck and additives are inexpensive ways to get food and food products ready to go in record times. The faster it gets to the grocery store, the quicker these big wigs can make a dollar and go out and buy their Wicked X Herbal Incense or whatever it is that their hearts desire. Take a look at the infographic below that depicts the additives in our favorite foods that might actually be harmful to us.

The couple above are growing a unique species of yam know as the Kiekie yam. It shows that you can never count a yam as just a yam. You'll find yourself facing a possibility you weren't expecting.