Anna Dutka

Food Additives - Friends or Foes?

Preservativespreservatives [preservative]Preservatives, emulsifiersemulsifiers [emulsifier]emulsifiers and synthetic colourantscolourants [colourant]colourants are prevalentprevalentprevalent in food we consume these days. In recent decades, people’s awareness of what they put on their plates has increased enormously. We want to know more to be able to make informed decisionsinformed decisions [informed decision]informed decisions about products we buy and consume. This trend is reflected in actions undertaken by relevant authorities. For example, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently stated that the toxicity oftoxicity oftoxicity of food additivesadditives [additive]additives evaluated before 2009 must now be re‑evaluated in the light of current scientific knowledge. Do you read labels on food products? If you feel confused by the hard‑to‑pronounce names of chemical compoundschemical compounds [chemical compound]chemical compounds and what’s behind them, let us walk you throughwalk somebody through somethingwalk you through the most common food additives.

The mysterious E‑numbers

E stands for Europe. The E‑numbers list was created by regulatorsregulators [regulator]regulators in the 1960s and it comprises codes for substances used as food additives. Some of them are natural, like vitamin C (E300) or agaragaragar (E406), others are synthetic, for example amaranth (E123) and sodium citratesodium citratesodium citrate (E316). Their function is to enhance the taste, texture and appearanceenhance the taste, texture and appearanceenhance the taste, texture and appearance of food. E‑numbers are often vilifiedvilified [vilify]vilified and used synonymously with all harmful substances in food. You should remember that the list only includes chemical compounds that have been thoroughly tested and approved to be used in foods. Companies promoting their products as “free of E‑numbers” are simply using a marketing gimmickmarketing gimmickmarketing gimmick on you. However, regulations regarding which substances and especially how much of them can be used vary between countries and depend on how local authorities assess the potential toxicity of them. It’s worth knowing what different E‑numbers refer to, for instance numbers 200 to 299 are preservativespreservatives [preservative]preservatives, which prevent microbes from growing in food and making consumers sick. Your most important rule should be to go for products with as short lists of ingredients as possible.

Number range	Additive type
100‑199	Food colours
200‑299	Preservatives
300‑399	Antioxidantsantioxidants [antioxidant]Antioxidants
400‑499	Thickenersthickeners [thickener]Thickeners, emulsifiers and stabilisersstabilisers [stabiliser]stabilisers
500‑599	Acidity regulatorsacidity regulators [acidity regulator]Acidity regulators and anti‑caking agentsanti‑caking agents [anti‑caking agent]anti‑caking agents
600‑699	Flavour enhancersflavour enhancers [flavour enhancer]Flavour enhancers
700‑799	Sweetenerssweeteners [sweetener]Sweeteners, foaming agentsfoaming agents [foaming agent]foaming agents and gases

Sugar – your worst enemy?

Sugar takes the blame for a great number of medical issues of the contemporary world. ObesityobesityObesity, tooth decaytooth decaytooth decay or cardio‑vascular diseasescardio‑vascular diseases [cardio‑vascular disease] (także: cardiovascular disease)cardio‑vascular diseases are all linked to the overconsumptionoverconsumptionoverconsumption of the white crystals, which some decades ago used to be an occasional treat and now have become ubiquitousubiquitousubiquitous in 80% of food products we eat on a daily basis. No wonder people started to look for sugar substitutessugar substitutes [sugar substitute]sugar substitutes, not wanting to give up on the sweet taste. There are natural alternatives to sugar such as steviastevia leaves, honey or maple syrup. However, you should bear in mindbear in mindbear in mind that many of them undergo refining processes before they end up on your table. On the other hand, there are artificial sweeteners such as aspartameaspartameaspartame (E951). Although people are rather cautious about everything labelled as artificial, much research confirms that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities. Since sweeteners are usually 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar, you need much less to satisfy your sweet toothsweet toothsweet tooth.

Processed or ultra‑processed?

Unless it’s an apple you have just picked from a tree, the food you’re eating is probably processed. Chopping, blending, baking, etc. are all classified as processing and although vegetables may lose some of their qualities when boiled, these processing methods do not usually have detrimental effectsdetrimental effects [detrimental effect]detrimental effects on consumers’ health. Ultra‑processing is quite a different story. Frozen meals, soft drinks, salty snacks and many other products all contain added ingredients and are made from substances extracted from food. They are full of fats and starches, saturated withsaturated withsaturated with added sugars and artificial colours and flavours. If you don’t monitor your intake ofintake ofintake of such products, weight gain is the smallest problem you can expect. Numerous studies show clearly that an ultra‑processed diet makes people consume more carbohydrates and fat in comparison with people following an unprocessed diet.

Food industry in developed countries offers an almost limitless choice of products these days, all of them tempting us with a variety of flavours and smells. Research shows that we eat over two kilos of chemical food additives every year. It’s an unprecedentedunprecedentedunprecedented amount! There are two takeaway points from this story. Firstly, it’s entirely up to us how knowledgeable we are about what we eat. Secondly, the old adageadageadage “everything in moderationin moderationin moderation” seems to be still relevantseems to be still relevant [seem to be still relevant]seems to be still relevant.

1 Źródło: Anna Dutka, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.