Food Facts Asia Issue 34 - The Frenzy Over Food Additives

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 10 Feb 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Food additives - they are among the most searched for items on food packages around the world. Research conducted by AFIC in China shows that many people rank food additives as a bigger safety risk than microbiological contamination. But are these concerns justified or are they based on misinformation?

The use of additives can be traced back many centuries. The salting and smoking of meat and fish was used by our ancestors to preserve foods. The Egyptians used colours and flavourings in foods while the Romans used spices. Advances in food technology have discovered new substances which can impart various functions to foods. The wide range and choice of foods and beverages in the supermarket today is due in a large part to food additives. Imagine your pantry without instant noodles, soy or chilli sauce, soybean cake, kaya or tinned coconut milk. All of these foods rely on food additives for their taste, texture, quality, colour and/or safety.

What is a food additive?

A food additive is a substance which is added to a food or beverage for a technological purpose. It may be added to ensure the safety of the food and prevent spoilage, improve food quality or meet consumer needs for taste, colour or texture. In some cases, such as the addition of vitamins and minerals to foods, additives can improve the nutritional value of a food or beverage. Why do we need additives in foods?

Food additives are used for a variety of reasons including:

- Improved Safety

Additives can help keep foods fresh and safe by preventing their deterioration or spoilage. Preservatives are added to foods to prevent or limit the growth of harmful microorganisms or moulds thereby preventing spoilage and the likelihood of food poisoning. They are used in baked foods, cheese, wine, cured meats, fruit juices and margarines. Examples include sulphites, nitrates and nitrites. Antioxidants (such as tocopherols (vitamin E), vitamin C, BHA or BHT) are another example of a food additive used to prevent the oxidation of foods that can lead to rancidity or discolouration. They are added to margarines and baked foods.

- Better taste and texture

Many food additives improve the taste and texture of foods. Emulsifiers and stabilizers help prevent ingredients separating (for example they help stop the separation of oil and liquid factions) and help improve texture. They are used in margarines, ice cream and salad dressings. Ingredients which thicken foods (such as gelatin and pectin) are used in foods such as flavored milk and salad dressing to impart better mouth feel and improve the taste. Sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame, sorbitol, maltilol, isomalt) add sweetness to foods while helping to lower calorie levels. Other additives are sometimes used in savoury foods to enhance the flavor. A good example is monosodium glutamate (MSG).

- Processing aids

Certain additives are added during processing to help produce a quality food or beverage. These include substances such as acids, acidity regulators (which are added to control, the acidity or alkalinity of a product) and anti-caking agents (so powders don't clump and can flow more freely).

- Colours and flavours

The colour of a food is one of the first sensory qualities experienced and helps people decide whether to accept or reject a food. Margarine for example was developed to provide a low saturated fat spread. The product is actually white without added colour yet research showed that people rejected the product unless it was yellow despite the fact that the taste was not altered. Consumer perception was that fat spreads should be yellow.

Some foods lose colour when they are processed. Canned peas and jams lose their colour when cooked or exposed to air and water and often have colour added to restore the original hue. Similarly, flavours (both natural and synthetic) are added to restore flavour or enhance the flavour of foods thereby increasing the appeal of a food or beverage and/or matching consumer expectations.

How are food additives regulated?

Food additives are regulated by national food authorities and form part of the food law within a country. All additives must have a proven purpose and undergo rigorous scientific testing before they are approved for use. Regulatory authorities specify the foods and amounts in which an additive can be used.

In Japan for example, food additives are regulated under the Food Sanitation Law (1947 amendment). However controls on additives in Japan date back as far as 1878 when legal regulations were developed for the addition of aniline dyes to foods and beverages.

At the international level, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have an expert panel called the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) which undertakes rigorous assessments and regular review of the safety of food additives.

How is the safety of food additives assessed?

The safety of food additives involves a review of all scientific studies on an additive. A maximum upper limit of an additive that has not caused any adverse effect in either human or animal studies is determined. This is called the "No Observed Effect Level" (NOEL) and is used to determine the levels of additives which can be used. A large safety margin is added to the NOEL and an "Acceptable Daily Intake" (ADI) figure (the amount that a person could consume over the course of their lifetime with no adverse effects on their health) is set. This is usually 100 times the NOEL level.

What is the recent controversy over food colours?

The controversy over food colours dates back to the 1970's when it was thought that certain colours in the food supply may contribute to hyperactivity in sensitive children. In 1982, the National Institute of Health (USA) reviewed the claims and concluded that there was no scientific evidence to support the claim that food colours caused hyperactivity. However, the NIH did find that for some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a diagnosed food allergy, there may be benefits in terms of improved behaviour in reducing or excluding food colours from the diet.

More recently, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK funded research into the relationship between food colours and hyperactivity. The study was undertaken by the University of Southampton (UK) and found that for children aged 2-3 years and those aged 8-9 years there was an increase in hyperactivity in small numbers of children when they consumed two mixtures of artificial colours plus a preservative (sodium benzoate). The colours used in the study were tartarazine, quinoline yellow, sunset yellow, carmoisine, ponceau 48 and allura red. These are known in the popular press as the "Southampton Six"

The European Food Safety Assessment panel, EFSA, subsequently evaluated the study and stated that the findings did not support any alteration of the ADI levels in Europe for the colours used in the study. The EFSA panel concluded that "the effects observed were not consistent for the two age groups and for the two mixtures used in the study". What this means is that the results of the study are not conclusive and do not support increased concern about these additives.

Recently, the European Parliament approved a proposal that foods containing those colors must carry a label stating that the product "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

How can I find out what additives are in a food or beverage?

All food additives must be listed in the ingredient list on food packaging. In some countries, such as Hong Kong, the purpose of the additive must also be listed. For example, an ingredient list may state "preservative (sodium sulphite)".

Should we be concerned about food additives?

Food additives play important roles in ensuring the safety, wholesomeness and acceptability of today's food supply. Stringent regulations and monitoring are in place to ensure the safety of any food additives used and there is a long history of food additive use in our food supply. Labelling requirements mean that those who choose to avoid food additives for whatever reason can do so. For most people, food additives enable an ever expanding array of high quality and great tasting foods and beverages.

References

- McCann, D et al. Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet, 2007;370: 1560-7.

- Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids, and Food Contact Materials (AFC) on a request from the Commission on the results of the study by McCann et al. (2007) on the effect of some colours and sodium benzoate on children's behaviour. The EFSA Journal (2008) 660, 1-5.

- NIH Consensus Development Panel Defined Diets and Hyperactivity. Conference Summary, Vol 4(3), 1982.

- http://www.efsa.org

Asian Food Information Center is a Singapore registered not-for-profit organization. Its mission is to effectively communicate science-base information on food safety, nutrition and health information to media, regulators, food/health professionals, and consumers in the Asia region.

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