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Food Additives l Jan Waldo”, Food Spet‘iafist, Home Economics Branchl A 1979 survey showed Canadian consumers were very concerned about food additives. Health and Welfare Canada questioned almost 25,000 people about this controversial topic. The answers proved that the facts about the additives have been lost in a haze of misunderstanding and misinformation. Many shoppers are so apprehensive about this, they say they‘re willing to spend more money to get additive-free foods. When this is the situation. more clarification of food additives is needed. Hopefully. the following points will clear up some of the confusion. WHAT IS A FOOD ADDITIVE? Additives, which may come from another food or from the laboratory, must improve or maintain the nutritive value. quality, quantity or acceptability of a food. They are included basically for the benefit of the consumer, rather than the manufacturer. introduced during production, processing. storage. or put directly into the packaging material, they become a part of the product or affect its characteristics in some way. The amounts of food additives permitted by law must be harmless even if consumed over a lifetime. When the safety levels are set. all possible sources of the additive in question are taken into consideration. Food colorings fall into this category and are regulated the same way. Additives cannot be deceptive, covering up an inferior product, and they must be named along with the ingredients on the label. Canada's policy differs from the United States as far as salt, sugar, and starch are concerned. in this country they are classified as ingredients rather than additives. especially since they are sold separately as food pro- ducts. Vitamins. minerals. amino acids. spices, seasonings and flavorings are also not in the additive category in Canada. They‘re covered separately in another section of the Food and Drug Regulations. ARE FOOD ADDITIVES SAFE? When a manufacturer wants to use an additive he carries out complex and detaiied tests to prove the chemical is justified and will be safe for humans at the level recommended. even if it is eaten for a lifetime. Scientists from the Health Protection Branch, Health and Welfare Canada. carefully examine all test results. Evert after it is given their stamp of uppr0val, scientific scrutiny does not stop. All additives allowed in Canada are continually reviewed. If a question concerning its safety for human consumption arises, the Situation is totally re-examined. ARE FOOD ADDITIVES REALLY NECESSARY? We expect. even demand, a certain quality in the food we buy. We insist that bread feels fresh, cheese is free of mould. bacon is safe to eat, crackers are not rancid and marshmallmvs are soft. Unless we are willing to forego the supermarket concept and produce all these at home or shop every day in many small stores. yes, we do need food additives. Obviously. additives help in many ways. They can increase and add more variety to the food supply by keeping products fresh longer, reducing spoilage and waste. They are important in the manufacture of food lti The Facts; Not the Fiction ‘ analogues (products that are similar to and t. :n certain conventional foods, like textured chrtjble pm tein used as a substitute for bacon). If they dis; not “in we would not have many of the foods we nm. lake for granted and others would cost a great deal mu.» Additives act as preservatives by extendirr, if on” life of food. The controversial use of nitrites .. 1mm in preserved meats such as ham, bacon, cold t . ,V and!“ some cheeses, is an example. There is a U Kc “m nitrities can be converted to nitrosamines, replace itml‘ that has been connected with cancer in : whiff animals. The problem is, at this stage of our ' mlogf nitrites are the only known substance that r. wm‘my botulism in cured meats. It is necessary to t w [m importance of the nitrite in preventing bOlUll 1;;th the theoretical chance of developing cantr 'iml‘ from it or from the nitrosamines. The other mini is to completely avoid these products. THE ROLE OF FOOD ADDITIVES The approximately 350 additives allOv. 3, [he Health Protective Branch of Health and WL'l Ant. da, serve three main purposes: 1) They enhance the quality ofa product by.- 0 preventing the growth of bacteria. n ind yeasts in many foods, including bi “tin, cereals and dried fruit. 0 preventing fats and oils turning rancid . lilacs like crackers and cake mixes. The ml.» min: ones used here are butylated hyc. molt (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene in r 2) Additives improve the acceptability of p '.~ b} acting as:7 0 an emulsifier to keep ingredients ill. and vinegar in a salad dressing, proper mt Lecithin, found naturally in eggs and s “A. it often used for this 0 a gelling agent in jellies and for bin some meat products 0 a stabilizer or thickener in foods like I. ice cream and cottage cheese I O a firming agent to retain the normal tr 0‘1 product. such as canned tomatoes, whiri lid bL' changed by processing. 3) They help achieve successful processing b} all“? agents which:7 0 prevent items like salt and icing 5L WW “caking” or getting lumpy 0 prevent foods such as marshmallows and tidddd coeoanut from drying out too quickly 0 act as catalysts for desired reactions, fol Wl‘lt" usmg rennet to curdle cheese or papain : micr- 1ze meat 0 remove certain substances from varim tooth. caffeine from coffee and oil from nuts ’ ' make the production of today‘s Convenicnu: Wth possible Unless we want to radically change our Show “‘3 mi eating habits, food additives are here to stay. r\‘ "N ‘5 modern science and technology can tell, the addlE'VC’ “‘5 get are not harmful~and they allow manufaClU’Cl" m produce the kind, quality and variety of food “- 3“ consumers of the ’80‘s, demand.