Why are additives introduced into food?
The main reasons for food additives are to preserve the food, enhance flavour or appearance or to fortify foods with additional nutrients. Food additives are often natural ingredients that have been given a number or scientific name. However, some additives are artificially manufactured.
Some food manufacturers voluntarily add vitamins and minerals to foods to make them more attractive to consumers and to ensure that consumers, particularly children and vulnerable groups receive the nutrients essential for health. Another reason for adding vitamins and minerals is to replace nutrients lost during the manufacturing process.
Foods that have vitamins and minerals added voluntarily include breakfast cereals and drinks. If vitamins or minerals are added, then the food label must include the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for those additives.
It is compulsory in the UK and some other European Union member states for some foods such as margarine, flour and salt to be fortified with specified vitamins and minerals.
Food additives fall into six categories:
Preservatives
Preservatives have been used in food for hundreds of years. They help to keep food safe to eat for longer. Not all preservatives are artificial, sugar, salt and vinegar are still widely used to preserve a large number of foods. During the Middle Ages, saltpetre was used to preserve meat, the active ingredient in saltpetre is nitrite (E249) which is still used today to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are used to prevent foods containing fats, oils or fat-soluble vitamins from combining with oxygen which would cause them to change colour or go rancid. Ascorbic acid which is Vitamin C is commonly used in the food manufacturing industry as an antioxidant, again this has been used widely in domestic kitchens – consider how lemon juice sprinkled on cut apples will prevent browning!
Colours
Colours are introduced into foods to enhance their appearance. Some people think that this misleads the consumer into believing that the product contains
more of the main flavouring ingredient. Others like their food to appear more colourful. Again, not all food colourings are artificial, carotenes (E160(a)) are natural plant pigments found in carrots, tomatoes, apricots and green leafy vegetables – this is also an additional source of vitamin A. Others are artificially manufactured, a well known one is tartrazine (E102) because it has been linked to some adverse reactions.
Sweeteners
As we all try to eat a healthier diet, we are using more and more artificial sweeteners as alternatives to sugar. Intense sweeteners such as aspartame (E951) and saccharin (E954) have very few calories and are safer for teeth. Bulk or table top sweeteners such as sorbitol (E420) are used to replace sugar in manufactured products.
Emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents
Emulsifiers are used to hold ingredients together that would naturally separate, such as oils and other liquids. Lecithins (E322) are common emulsifiers and are naturally found in egg yolks, peanuts, maize and soya beans.
Stabilisers ensure that the mixture doesn’t separate again, they have many uses and are commonly used in low fat spreads. Carob bean extract (E410) is a naturally found example.
One of the most common gelling agents is pectin (E440(a) – found in fruit, locust bean gum (E410) which is made from carob beans is also widely used.
Thickeners are used in manufacturing to give substance to food, they have the same effect as adding flour to sauces.
Flavour Enhancers
Flavour enhancers are added to increase the flavour of ingredients in a wide range of foods including soups, sauces and other processed foods without adding a flavour of their own. The most widely used flavour enhancer is salt. Monosodium glutomate (E621), known as MSG is also commonly used.
Why do food additives have E numbers?
Additives are required by European Union legislation to be clearly labelled in the ingredients list by either its name or E number. The E number denotes that the ingredient has passed EU safety tests and has been approved for use. This does not mean that ingredients that do not display an E number have not been approved, it is at the discretion of the manufacturer which method of ingredients listing to use.
What is the difference between Flavour and Flavoured products.
Foods that are described as, for example, strawberry flavour may be flavoured artificially and need not contain any strawberries at all whereas strawberry flavoured product must derive most of its flavour from strawberries. If the food is described as “strawberry”, for example strawberry yoghurt, then it must be made from whole strawberries.
Are known allergenic ingredients shown on labels?
From 25 November 2005 New Food Labelling Regulations list 12 foods that must be declared if they are present in pre-packed foods manufactured after this date. These are:
Some labels say May Contain... Can I rely on this?
Many manufacturers make statements on their products saying for example “may contain traces of nuts”. This is not a legal requirement, but some producers use the phrase to indicate that there could be a trace of an allergenic ingredient that may have come into contact with the food accidentally during the manufacturing process.
Whilst it is vitally important that consumers who suffer from potentially life-threatening food allergies can identify possible sources of a reaction, consumer groups are concerned that the statement is overused and sometimes restricts consumers’ choice unnecessarily. There are also concerns that valid statements may become undermined there is guidance for manufacturers from the Food Standards Agency.
How can I tell if some foods are more healthy than others?
Some manufacturers make health claims such as “low fat”, “diet” or “rich in vitamins and minerals”. The law says that these claims must be proved. Any food that has a health or nutrient claim must include a break down of nutrients, fats, calorific content and in the case of claims relating to nutrients, the recommended daily allowance of such nutrients.
In addition, if products are on sale in the United Kingdom, food labels must be printed in English and easy to read and understand.
For further information, please see the links on the left.