FOOD ADDITIVES
Humans have added substances to food for thousands of years to preserve
or improve the taste. Historians have found records that indicate
that
salt was used to preserve meat as early as 3,000 BC. Adventurers in
the Middle Ages undertook hazardous journeys in search of spices,
an
extremely important food additive of the time. Man has also used additives
to alter the color of a food so that it appeared fresh. Poisonous
copper
sulfate was used to color pickles, alum to whiten bread, and indigo
to color tea. Laws were enacted as early as 1202 to eliminate harmful
additives used as color or flavor enhancers.
Food additives are any substance or mixture of substances other than
the basic foodstuff that is present in food as a result of any phase
of production, processing, packaging, or storage (Food and Drug Administration
1990). This definition is used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
as it regulates the use of food additives. It is estimated that an individual
consumes 140 to 150 pounds of food additives each year. Of that, 98%
are made up of in food items like salt, sugar, baking powder, and yeast
(FDA 1990).
Additives that are added to a food for a specific purpose are known
as direct additives. For example, the low calorie sweetener, aspartame,
is a direct additive that is added to puddings, soft drinks, yogurt,
and many other foods. Direct additives are identified on a food's ingredient
label.
Indirect additives become part of the food in very small amounts during
the processing, packaging, or storage of the food item. By law, manufacturers
must document that the amounts present are considered so insignificant
as to be safe.
Food additives are used to:
- improve or maintain
nutritional quality. Examples are the addition of Vitamin D to milk
and vitamins A and D to margarine.
- improve keeping
quality and reduce waste. Calcium propionate to keep bread from molding;
nitrite to prevent botulism in cured meats like hot dogs, bacon ,
and ham; and BHA or BHT to keep oils or fat in food products from
going rancid are examples.
- maintain food
quality characteristics. Examples of this additive include cornstarch
added to powdered sugar to prevent lumping and leavenings to make
baked products rise.
- facilitate
fast and convenient food preparation. The use of phosphate additives
in instant oatmeal or instant pudding is an example.
- make food more
appealing. Artificial or synthetic colors and flavors are examples
of this type of additive. These additives are added in minute amounts
that can have a large impact. By FDA regulations, colorings can only
be used to enhance visual appeal, not to misrepresent the food (Jones
1992).
The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 and its 1958 and 1960 amendments
give the FDA regulatory authority over food additives. The FDA regulates
the type of food in which the additive can be used, the maximum quantity
that can be used, and the information that must appear on the label.
Manufacturers must document the "safety" of the additive to
the FDA by performing chemical studies and tests involving animals before
the additive is approved for use. The test involving animals are used
to determine whether the substances could have harmful effects such
as cancer and birth defects. Two major groups of food items are exempt
from this testing and approval process. One is a group of 700 substances
categorized as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) which have been classified
this way based on extensive past use. The other major group includes
substances that were approved for use prior to 1958 either by the FDA
or the US Department of Agriculture. Safety is not defined by law but
has been interpreted by the FDA to be "a reasonable certainty of
no harm under intended use conditions" (Redlinger and Nelson 1990).
Additives are never given permanent approval but are continually reviewed
and modified and withdrawn if necessary.
Works Cited:
Food and Drug Administration. "Food Additives". 1990. Jones,
Julie Miller.
Food Safety. St. Paul, MN: Eagan Press. 1992 Redlinger, Patricia, and
Diane Nelson.
"Food Additives: How Safe Are They?". Iowa State University
Extension. 1990.
Revised 12/97