The Main Categories of Food Additives
Food additives have been around for centuries to make foods more favorable, appear more attractive to eat, stay fresh longer, to make food healthier and prevent disease. There are many types of food additives depending on what kind of food it is and how the food is prepared, stored 
and sold. At first glance, the chemical lists on products you buy may be daunting. Some have long chemical names and others list ingredients by their common or brand name. For example, beta-carotene is a form of vitamin A, alpha-tocopherol is a form of vitamin E, riboflavin is vitamin B2 and pyridoxine hydrochloride is vitamin B6. With a little bit of reading and study these chemicals can become familiar so that you can read the list of ingredients on any package. Europe has a numbering system called the “e-numbers” and each food additive has its own unique number. These additives can be natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic which are licensed by the European Union (EU) and the e-numbers run from E100 to E1999 and are found in processed foods. These food additives or e-numbers include preservatives, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, sweeteners, food dyes and many more chemicals. Having an e-number suggests that the chemical has been declared safe when used under the proper conditions by the EU unless it is controversial or has been banned. According to the EU, food additives must be authorized before they can be used in foods. The EU provides a list of all food additives, their uses and any health issues reported or clinically tested and is a great reference tool. Another agency that is useful in finding information about food is the Codex Alimentarius, commonly known as the Food Codex, is an international collection of recognized standards for food production and food safety issues. This agency is recognized by the World Trade Organization as an international reference point for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection. And, another agency is the Food and Drug Administration in the USA which is responsible for protecting public health by assuring safety for humans and animals in terms of drugs, biological products, medical devices, food supply, cosmetics, radiation and tobacco products.
Since many people travel to others countries, it is a good idea to know the differences in food quality and safety in other countries as they vary tremendously. One country may allow a certain food additive and in another country the same additive may be banned. Some countries import foodstuffs that don’t meet their safety requirements but they have an agreement with the other country to sell these foods so you need to check packaging closely for these products. Let’s start with some basics about food additives to begin building a vocabulary. Listed below are the main categories of food additives that include preservatives, emulsifiers, flavoring agents, sweeteners and food coloring. There are other categories but this makes up for the bulk of chemicals that are commonly used.
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers allow for oils and water to mix preventing separation. Most emulsifiers today are artificially made and are found in salad dressings, margarines, chewing gums and some ice creams. A natural emulsifier would be egg yolk.
Flavoring Agents
Flavoring agents add smell and/or taste to food to be more appealing. Most foods contain some type of flavor enhancer and today many of them are artificial.
What Foods Have the Most Additives? In Other Words What Foods Should You Avoid
- Avoid foods that contain refined sugar (table sugar, sugar cane as this is processed sugar) and other sweetened food (synthetic or other natural types such as high fructose and corn syrups). Stay away from candies, soda, syrup, jelly and baked goods whether prepackaged or at your local grocers. Try to eat naturally sweetened or fruit sweetened foods. Remember that natural sweeteners include apple butter, agave or honey.
- Many processed foods contain fillers and preservatives you really don’t want. Sometimes these are referred to as “un-whole” ingredients. Many times manufacturers write these ingredients in a generic name or a long chemical name you may not recognize. If you don’t recognize the ingredient, then don’t buy it.
- Be wary of foods labeled “diet” foods. They should be lower in calorie with less sugar or fat but do you know how they achieved this. Often, they use chemical additives that are synthetic and not healthy for you. Just because a product’s name says, “healthy choice” doesn’t mean that it is. Again, this is a marketing strategy so beware.
- Try to avoid foods that are fried. I know this is difficult as they are so tasty. These may come from your grocery store or perhaps reputable restaurants. More often than not, they contain a lot of saturated fats and trans fats. These fats are linked to cardiovascular problems as well as cancer.
- Try to avoid fast food places. These have to be the worst offenders of all. These are definitely the worst foods to eat. I know we are all busy and trying to do more than we really can in our high paced life style that we live today, but don’t do it. These foods are filled with many artificial preservatives, flavorings, colorings and other additives that mfost people don’t even know what they are. Unfortunately, many people have been reared on these foods and have learned to love the taste and even crave them.
What is the Purpose of Food Additives?
Food additives definitely have a useful function when properly used. There was a time when we hunted and grew our own food but that is rare today. Today, part of our population deals with providing the rest of us all the food stuffs we need and desire. All we need to do is go to the grocery store and restaurants to take care of our nutritional needs. Since we don’t grow our own food and hunt, many more artificial and natural food additives have become necessary to prevent poisoning and maintain freshness while foods travel long distances as well as stored for long times. Listed below are the main reasons we use food additives today.
- We like to have products that don’t separate. It’s not nice when ice cream and cheese separate into their separate components so we add emulsifiers to keep them homogenized.
- Some products lack in nutrients because they are processed so additives can restore what they lost. Some staple type foods or junk foods don’t contain the basic nutrients you need so additives are a way of bringing in nutrition that is missing. Therefore, we try to enhance the nutritional value by adding in nutrient additives after the fact such as vitamins and/or minerals. For example, iodine was added to salt to prevent Goiter.
- Additives are also used to prevent spoilage and maintain taste. Certain preservatives slow down the process of spoilage that come about due to the presence of bacteria and fungus such as nitrites and nitrates in meats. This was a major hurdle from old forms of preservation of foods that had a high rate of various types of food poisoning and in particular botulism. Today antioxidants are used in oil products to prevent that stale oil flavor that can occur rather quickly. Have you ever had a stale potato chip? It still happens today but usually due to excess heat or sunlight that can occur with vending machines that are outside or a bag you left open for days. Antioxidants are also used to protect flavor and oxidation (browning) in fruits and vegetables particular when they have been cut. Quite often preservatives are used in fruit and cheese platters that you buy at the grocery store. Alar is an example of a preservative used on cut apples to prevent browning that is highly controversial today.
Additives that have Become Banned
Many times we are told that food additives are safe based on testing. We know that testing is not complete for many reasons and only time will tell after the public has used these additives will we know. We are the guinea pigs after all. Below is a list of some of the additives that have been banned.
- Artificial dyes – Butter yellow, Green 1 and 2, Orange 1, 2 and B, Red 1, 2, 4 and 32, Sudan1, Violet 1, Yellow 1, 2, 3 and 4. Some known to cause cancer and others to create hypersensitivity in children.
- Sweetener – Cyclamate an artificial sweetener (bladder cancer)
- Flavoring – Safrole used to flavor root beer from sassafras (liver cancer)
- Preservative – Thiourea a synthetic preservative (liver cancer)
Additives that were Banned and Now Allowed
What additives have been banned but now allowed or in the process of lifting a ban depends on the country you live in. However, one additive that has been controversial throughout the world is monosodium glutamate (MSG). Believed to be a neurotoxin, MSG has been banned for short periods of time in some countries but now has come back in most. Even though MSG is back it comes with warnings on packaging and restaurants worldwide. Scientific studies seem to be inconclusive where MSG is concerned so you will have to fend for yourself. Known to attack the peripheral nervous system with symptoms of flushed face and profuse sweating MSG has been attributed to a number of other health problems. Now approved by the FDA in the US but with reservations, should not cause problems unless taken in high concentrations. After all, glutamate is a natural neurotransmitter in the peripheral and central nervous system. Obviously anything in excess is harmful but overly this should not be a problem. Decades ago another flavor enhancer was used known as ibotenic acid that comes from the poison mushroom and is an analogue of MSG. This flavor enhancer was used for many decades prior to the 1950’s. The medical community became suspicious of this acid and began conducting chemical tests. Ibotenic acid was also considered to be a neurotoxin at the time but proper testing made it clear it was not. However, it turns out that it is a liver toxin. Once absorbed by the intestine, ibotenic acid goes directly to the liver. The liver has an enzyme that cleaves it into 2 smaller molecules. One of the smaller molecules is highly toxic to the liver cell and kills it. Too much ibotenic acid in your system means you will die a liver death. The FDA took ibotenic acid off the market circa 1950.
Are fruit and Vegetables Always Without Additives?
Most fruits and vegetables contain additives especially if not grown organically. They will contain artificial fertilizers and pesticides. This comes build in if you will in terms of additives. Many studies have been done on produce containing pesticides. Some produce grown with pesticides absorb a lot of these chemicals where as other produce absorbs less. It is best that you take in produce that contains few pesticides to reduce the risk of chemical poisoning. The list below gives you a general idea of fruits and vegetables to stay away from when pesticides have been used. Of course, you should be fine with organically grown produce.
- Foods that contain the most pesticides include:
Celery, lettuce, spinach, bell peppers, potatoes, peaches, pears, apples, strawberries, cherries, nectarines, grapes
- Foods that contain very few pesticides include:
Cabbage, broccoli, onions, corn, asparagus, frozen sweet peas, avocados, pineapples, mangos, kiwi, papaya, bananas
What are Some of the Risks and Benefits of Natural and Manufactured Additives?
Some additives are synthetic and some are natural. Just because an additive is synthetic doesn’t mean it is bad any more than a natural additive is good for you. It depends on its source and how it interacts with your metabolism. There are always benefits and risks with additives of any kind. Initially, additives were important to inhibit the growth of molds and bacteria to prevent botulism and other bacterial infections that can be deadly. Food additives can keep foods fresher longer maintaining proper color and taste and make foods available year round. However, if food additives don’t prevent disease and have no nutritional value then why use them? For individuals that are allergic, they need to avoid certain food additives to prevent chronic illness and possibly death. Some of these additives include various glutens that can cause intestinal disease and autoimmunity, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame that can generate migraines, allergic responses and brain damage for individuals that have PKU and preservatives such as sulfur products that can cause severe allergic responses. And, don’t forget artificial food colorings that can generate hyperactivity in children, allergies and possibly asthma. The best thing to do is to be as well informed as you can for the types of food you eat and make your own decision and hope for the best.
