Why additives are added to food

The purpose of this brochure is to provide helpful background information about food and color additives: what they are, why they are used in foods and how they are regulated for safe use. Additives perform a variety of useful functions in foods that consumers often take for granted. Some additives could be eliminated if we were willing to grow our own food, harvest and grind it, spend many hours cooking and canning, or accept increased risks of food spoilage.

But most consumers today rely on the many technological, aesthetic and convenient benefits that additives provide. In its broadest sense, a food additive is any substance added to food. Legally, the term refers to "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result -- directly or indirectly -- in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food.

The purpose of the legal definition, however, is to impose a premarket approval requirement. Therefore, this definition excludes ingredients whose use is generally recognized as safe where government approval is not needed , those ingredients approved for use by FDA or the U. Department of Agriculture prior to the food additives provisions of law, and color additives and pesticides where other legal premarket approval requirements apply.

Direct food additives are those that are added to a food for a specific purpose in that food. For example, xanthan gum -- used in salad dressings, chocolate milk, bakery fillings, puddings and other foods to add texture -- is a direct additive. Most direct additives are identified on the ingredient label of foods. Indirect food additives are those that become part of the food in trace amounts due to its packaging, storage or other handling.

For instance, minute amounts of packaging substances may find their way into foods during storage. Food packaging manufacturers must prove to the U. Food and Drug Administration FDA that all materials coming in contact with food are safe before they are permitted for use in such a manner.

A color additive is any dye, pigment or substance which when added or applied to a food, drug or cosmetic, or to the human body, is capable alone or through reactions with other substances of imparting color.

FDA is responsible for regulating all color additives to ensure that foods containing color additives are safe to eat, contain only approved ingredients and are accurately labeled.

Color additives are used in foods for many reasons: 1 to offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions; 2 to correct natural variations in color; 3 to enhance colors that occur naturally; and 4 to provide color to colorless and "fun" foods. Without color additives, colas wouldn't be brown, margarine wouldn't be yellow and mint ice cream wouldn't be green.

Color additives are now recognized as an important part of practically all processed foods we eat. FDA's permitted colors are classified as subject to certification or exempt from certification , both of which are subject to rigorous safety standards prior to their approval and listing for use in foods. Today, food and color additives are more strictly studied, regulated and monitored than at any other time in history. FDA has the primary legal responsibility for determining their safe use.

To market a new food or color additive or before using an additive already approved for one use in another manner not yet approved , a manufacturer or other sponsor must first petition FDA for its approval. These petitions must provide evidence that the substance is safe for the ways in which it will be used. As a result of recent legislation, since , indirect additives have been approved via a premarket notification process requiring the same data as was previously required by petition.

Under the Food Additives Amendment, two groups of ingredients were exempted from the regulation process. Examples are sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite used to preserve luncheon meats. GROUP II - GRAS generally recognized as safe ingredients - are those that are generally recognized by experts as safe, based on their extensive history of use in food before or based on published scientific evidence.

When evaluating the safety of a substance and whether it should be approved, FDA considers: 1 the composition and properties of the substance, 2 the amount that would typically be consumed, 3 immediate and long-term health effects, and 4 various safety factors.

The evaluation determines an appropriate level of use that includes a built-in safety margin - a factor that allows for uncertainty about the levels of consumption that are expected to be harmless. In other words, the levels of use that gain approval are much lower than what would be expected to have any adverse effect. Because of inherent limitations of science, FDA can never be absolutely certain of the absence of any risk from the use of any substance.

Therefore, FDA must determine - based on the best science available - if there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to consumers when an additive is used as proposed. If an additive is approved, FDA issues regulations that may include the types of foods in which it can be used, the maximum amounts to be used, and how it should be identified on food labels. In , procedures changed so that FDA now consults with USDA during the review process for ingredients that are proposed for use in meat and poultry products.

Federal officials then monitor the extent of Americans' consumption of the new additive and results of any new research on its safety to ensure its use continues to be within safe limits. If new evidence suggests that a product already in use may be unsafe, or if consumption levels have changed enough to require another look, federal authorities may prohibit its use or conduct further studies to determine if the use can still be considered safe. Regulations known as Good Manufacturing Practices GMP limit the amount of food ingredients used in foods to the amount necessary to achieve the desired effect.

It may help to keep a food diary and note carefully any adverse reactions. In the case of a sensitivity being identified, the usual practice is to eliminate all suspect foods from the diet and then reintroduce them one by one to see which additive or additives causes the reaction. This should only be done under medical supervision, since some of the reactions — such as asthma — can be serious.

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The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Home Allergies. Food additives. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Safety tests for food additives Effects of food additives Types of food additives Food additives and processed foods Some food additives can cause reactions Some common food additives that may cause problems Diagnosing food additive sensitivity Where to get help.

Effects of food additives Some people are sensitive to particular food additives and may have reactions like hives or diarrhoea. Types of food additives The different types of food additive and their uses include: Anti-caking agents — stop ingredients from becoming lumpy. Antioxidants — prevent foods from oxidising, or going rancid. Artificial sweeteners — increase the sweetness.

Emulsifiers — stop fats from clotting together. Food acids — maintain the right acid level. At the same time, consumers and scientists have raised questions about the necessity and safety of these substances. Some additives are used for more than one purpose. Because food additives are closely regulated by the FDA, they cannot be used to cover up or deceive the consumer. The food additive intended for use in a product must have a purpose. Here are the major uses of food additives. One of the main functions of additives is to preserve food.

Without the addition of these additives, products would spoil at a more accelerated rate than would be expected by the consumer. In order to achieve "freshness," additives are added to ensure that bread does not arrive at the grocery store moldy or that milk does not have sour or off-flavors.

Preservatives used to control microbial growth include organic acids and their salts, sulfites, nitrites, parabens, and others. Enriching foods with nutrients is another function of food additives. Nutrients are added in amounts that do not exceed those found in the food before processing. Cereal products are a prime example of an enriched food to restore the original amount of nutrients prior to processing.

Bread is another example in which the B-complex vitamins of thiamine B1 , riboflavin B2 and niacin B3 are added to ensure proper proportions of these nutrients are present in the final product.

The color of food may be natural or artificial. Natural plant pigments - such as carotene, chlorophyll, and lycopene - help impart hues of orange, green and red, respectively.