Food Additives

Government and industry make every effort to provide a safe food supply. In doing so, they face a number of challenges. One is testing food additives to be sure they will cause no harm. Food additives are chemicals added to food to preserve freshness or enhance color or flavour.

In Canada, Health Canada officials control and evaluate food additives under the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations. Before any food additive can be used, a manufacturer is required to file a food additive submission that must contain information such as: -results of safety tests -how the additive will be used -benefits of the additive to the consumer Health Canada officials evaluate tests done on lab animals and the results of clinical studies involving humans to see if there is any evidence that the additive would pose a health hazard to consumers.

It is important as a consumer to be educated and informed about food additives. Read ingredient lists on food products. Keep up to date on reports on additives. Allergies and sensitivities cause consumers to be aware to prevent illness or death.

Food Additives Currently there are 3000 food additives in use. Many food additives are safe and provide people with many foods which would not stay fresh for long without food additives to preserve their texture or flavour. There have been additives that were once considered safe are now banned. Food additives have several functions: -add or stabilize the color of a food -sweeten a food without adding calories -thicken or keep a food mixed -slow down or prevent rancidity -add flavour -provide nutrients -act as a preservative, leavener, emulsifier or anti-caking agent

Sugar Substitutes Sugar substitutes sweeten food while adding few or no calories. They can benefit people who must restrict the amount of sugar they eat. Common sweeteners include aspartame, acesulfame-K, and sucralose. The term “no sugar added” means there was no sugar added during processing but does not account for the sugars the food may contain naturally.

Fat Substitutes Fat substitutes are natural or artificial substances that replace fat in processed foods. They are also used in reduced-fat foods. Some natural fat substitutes are based on proteins from ingredients such as low-fat milk or egg whites. Others are based on carbohydrates from sources such as cornstarch and oat bran. Natural substitutes are safe. Artificial fat substitutes have also been developed. Since they do not break down during digestion, they add no fat or calories to the foods containing them. Olestra, banned in Canada, is still used in the US as a fat substitute.

Caffeine Health Canada recommends that the maximum caffeine intake for the average adult be mg per day, which equals about 4 cups of instant coffee. The amount of caffeine depends on the type of beverage you drink. Caffeine is a stimulant and occurs naturally in coffee, tea and cocoa. It is an additive in soft drinks and gum. Caffeine keeps some people from sleeping and causes nervousness. Withdrawal may cause headaches and irritability.

Food Fortification Food Fortification or enrichment means adding one or more vitamins or minerals to a food whether or not that food normally contains it. There are several reasons Canada has set rules for the addition of nutrients to food: -random nutrient addition could cause too many or too few nutrients to be added -rules protect the consumer from misleading messages about what certain nutrients can do -the quality of Canada’s food supply is maintained

The Affects of Food Additives Food additives have affected the food supply in a number of ways: -increased the shelf life of products -increased the variety of foods available -created foods that would not be possible otherwise -created health problems, such as allergies and cancers -improved health by adding needed nutrients