Food additives

Have you ever wondered what all those crazy sounding ingredients are when you read the food label?

Food additives are added to foods to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance. There are over 700 food additives that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has deemed GRAS (generally regarded as safe). 

There is controversy regarding food additives. Some organizations have a list of additives that they do not consider safe, but the FDA has determined them as being safe.

Safe is defined by Congress as "reasonable certainty that no harm will result from use" of an additive. Some substances that are found to be harmful to people or animals may be allowed, but only at the level of 1/100th of the amount that is considered harmful. This margin of safety is a protection for the consumer by limiting the intake of a dangerous substance (from Medline Plus: Food Additives).

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a list of food additives to avoid. They include sodium nitrate, saccharin, aspartame, Acesulfame-K, caffeine, olestra, and food dyes (including some artificial colors). However, some of  these are still considered safe by the FDA. You can find the entire list on their website.

Of course, the less ingredients that a food product has, the less processed and typically more healthy. "Natural" food additives do not mean they are any safer than artificial or synthetic additives, they may cause allergic reactions.

It is a personal decision on whether to eat foods with certain food additives. People who have intolerances or allergies should always check the ingredient list and food label for their own protection.

The USDA has an entire website on food additive information.