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Food additives
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Food additives are chemicals added to foods to keep them fresh or to enhance their colour, flavour or texture. Food additives are listed on the label, along with other ingredients, in a descending order by weight. Sometimes, the additive is spelt out in full; at other times, it is represented by a number.
Animal tests used to determine safety
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is responsible for the approval of food additives that are allowable in Australian foods. All food additives used in Australia undergo a safety assessment, which includes rigorous testing, before they are approved. Toxicological tests on animals are used to determine the amount of additive that is expected to be safe when consumed by humans. This is usually an amount 100 times less than the maximum daily dose at which ‘no observable effects’ are produced by an additive consumed over the test animal’s lifetime. If there is any doubt over the safety of an additive, approval is not given. If new scientific information becomes available suggesting that a food additive is no longer safe, the approval to use the food additive would be withdrawn.
Combined effects not known
Most food additives are tested in isolation rather than in combination with other additives. The long term effects of consuming a combination of different additives are currently unknown.
Some people are sensitive to some additives
Some people are sensitive to particular food additives and may have reactions like hives or diarrhoea. This doesn’t mean that all foods containing additives need to be automatically treated with suspicion. Many of the food additives used occur naturally within foods that are regularly consumed.
All foods are made up of chemicals, many of which are not always ‘safer’ than those found in food additives. For instance, people with food allergies and intolerances are also often sensitive to chemicals found naturally in certain foods, such as nuts or shellfish.
There are worse things to fear than food additives
Many people view food additives as a major food threat; however, in terms of health risk, food additives would come in at the end of the line, after food-borne microorganisms (like salmonella), inappropriate hygiene and eating habits, environmental contaminants and naturally occurring toxins.
Types of food additives
The different types of food additive and their uses include:
- Anti-caking agents - stop ingredients from becoming lumpy.
- Antioxidants - prevent foods from oxidising, or going rancid.
- Artificial sweeteners - increase the sweetness.
- Emulsifiers - stop fats from clotting together.
- Food acids - maintain the right acid level.
- Colours - enhance or add colour.
- Humectants - keep foods moist.
- Flavours - add flavour.
- Flavour enhancers - increase the power of a flavour.
- Mineral salts - enhance texture.
- Preservatives - stop microbes from multiplying and spoiling the food.
- Thickeners - enhance texture.
- Stabilisers - maintains uniformity of food dispersion.
- Flour treatment - improves baking quality.
- Glazing agent - improves appearance and can protect food.
- Propellants - help propel food from a container.
Food additives and processed foods
There is a common misconception that processed foods automatically contain food additives. Foods like long-life milk, canned foods and frozen foods are all processed, yet none of them need extra chemicals.
If you are unsure whether or not a product contains an additive, check the label. However, some listed ingredients may contain food additives without mentioning them on the label. For instance, ‘margarine’ might be a listed ingredient, and margarine contains food additives.
Some food additives can cause reactions
For most people, additives are not a problem. However, 50 of the 400 currently approved additives in Australia have been associated with adverse reactions in some people. Some food additives are more likely than others to cause reactions in sensitive people.
It is often the additives that are used to give a food a marketable quality, such as colour, that most commonly cause allergic reactions. Some of these hypersensitive reactions include:
- Digestive disorders - diarrhoea and colicky pains.
- Nervous disorders - hyperactivity, insomnia and irritability.
- Respiratory problems - asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis.
- Skin problems - hives, itching, rashes and swelling.
It is important to realise that many of the symptoms experienced as a result of food sensitivities can be caused by other disorders. Medical diagnosis is important. If you try to diagnose yourself, you may restrict your diet unnecessarily and neglect an illness.
Some common additives that may cause problems
Some food additives that may cause problems for some people and their code numbers include:
- Flavour enhancers - monosodium glutamate (MSG) 621.
- Food colourings - tartrazine 102; yellow 2G107; sunset yellow FCF110; cochineal 120.
- Preservatives - benzoates 210, 211, 212, 213; nitrates 249, 250, 251, 252; sulphites 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225 and 228.
Diagnosing a sensitivity
If you think you may have a food additive sensitivity, it’s important to seek professional help, since all of the symptoms you may be experiencing can also be caused by other disorders.
It may help to keep a food diary and note carefully any adverse reactions. In the case of a sensitivity being identified, the usual practice is to eliminate all suspect foods from the diet and then reintroduce them one by one, to see which additive (or additives) causes the reaction. This should only be done under medical supervision, since some of the reactions - such as asthma - can be serious.
Where to get help
Things to remember
- Food additives are chemicals that keep foods fresh or enhance their colour, flavour or texture.
- A small percentage of people are sensitive to some food additives.
- Diagnosing sensitivity to food additives needs professional help, since all of the symptoms of sensitivity can also be caused by other disorders.
You might also be interested in:
Food labels explained.
Food to have sometimes.
Headache - some causes explained.
Hives explained.
Want to know more?
Go to More information for support groups, related links and references.
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This page has been produced in consultation with, and approved by:
Deakin University - School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
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Copyight © 1999/2009 State of Victoria. Reproduced from the Better Health Channel (www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au) at no cost with permission of the Victorian Minister for Health. Unauthorised reproduction and other uses comprised in the copyright are prohibited without permission.
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This Better Health Channel fact sheet has passed through a rigorous approval process. For the latest updates and more information visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.
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Fact sheet currently being reviewed.
Last updated: March 2008
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Food additives - Better Health Channel
Food additives are chemicals that keep food fresh or enhance its colour, flavour or texture. Some people are sensitive to food additives, but this is rare. Reactions to food additives include hives or diarrhoea, other digestive disorders and respiratory problems such as asthma. Additives that may cause a reaction include flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) 621; colourings including tartrazine 102, yellow 2G107, sunset yellow FCF110 and cochineal 120; and preservatives including benzoates 210, 211, 212, 213, nitrates 249, 250, 251, 252 and sulphites 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225 and 228. ..
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Food additives - Better Health ChannelFood additives are chemicals that keep food fresh or enhance its colour, flavour or texture. Some people are sensitive to food additives, but this is rare. Reactions to food additives include hives or diarrhoea, other digestive disorders and respiratory problems such as asthma. Additives that may cause a reaction include flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) 621; colourings including tartrazine 102, yellow 2G107, sunset yellow FCF110 and cochineal 120; and preservatives including benzoates 210, 211, 212, 213, nitrates 249, 250, 251, 252 and sulphites 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225 and 228. ..
© State of Victoria. All rights reserved
The information published here was accurate at the time of publication and is not intended to take the place of medical advice. Please seek advice from a qualified health care professional.
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