Food Additives Essay

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Regulation and Categories of Food Additives The FDA regulates all food additives, breaking them into three categories. "Indirect Food Additives" include packaging materials such as paper, plastic, cardboard and glue that come into contact with food.3 "Direct Food Additives" include preservatives, nutritional supplements, flavors and texturizers that are added to food. "Color Additives" are used to alter color. Preservatives Preservatives generally fall into one of three categories: those used to prevent bacterial or fungal growth, those that prevent oxidation (which can lead to discoloration or rancidity), and those that inhibit natural ripening of fruits and vegetables.4 According to an article written for the FDA, "it's almost impossible to eat food without preservatives added by manufacturers," unless you eat exclusively fresh food that you cook yourself.5 Some common preservatives in wide use are propionic acid, which prevents mold in bread; nitrates and nitrites, which prevent discoloration in meat; and benzoates (most commonly sodium benzoate), which are used primarily in acidic foods to prevent bacterial growth.6 Flavorings are chemical formulations that mimic the flavors and smells of foods.7 Smell is just as important as taste to food processors, because most of a food's flavor appeal to the human brain—up —actually comes from its smell.8 Most processed foods rely on these additives to restore flavor that is lost in processing or create new flavors altogether. McDonald's, for example, adds "chicken flavor" to its Chicken McNuggets.®9 Common flavor additives such as sweeteners, fruit flavors, and butter or cheese flavors are found in both natural and artificial forms. The difference between the two depends on the source of the flavor and way it was derived.10 Natural flavors are often produced using just as much chemical manipulation as that used to

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