Food additives are usually chemical substances that are added to foods in order to change their properties or adapt them to certain conditions. Their addition is often intended to influence the color, taste, consistency or shelf life of the food or to simplify production or even make it feasible in the first place.
"Food additives are substances that are not normally consumed as food themselves." Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 of the EU Parliament on food additives
Other substances are treated as additives. In the authorization procedure, these substances are treated as additives:
Minerals and trace elements and their compounds other than sodium chloride, amino acids and their derivatives, vitamins A and D and their derivatives, substances added to food for other than technological reasons (excluding natural substances with nutritional, odor or taste value). The legislator does not consider processing aids, flavorings, enzymes and pesticides to be additives.
Examples of additives
As already mentioned, food additives can be recognized by their E number. They are subject to mandatory labeling, i.e. a manufacturer must indicate all additives used on the food label.
- E100 Curcumin from turmeric for coloring
- E173 Aluminum Silver for coloring
- E300 Ascorbic acid Vitamin C as antioxidant
- E415 Xanthan gum as stabilizer
- E967 Xylitol as sweetener
- E951 Aspartame as sweetener
Where are food additives used?
The many finished products in particular would not be possible without the use of additives. The European Union (EU) assigns a so-called E number to each approved additive. There are currently around 341 additives approved for use in the food industry in the EU. These are in turn divided into different classes.
Many additives are highly controversial, while others are harmless.
An additive is only approved if the following criteria are met:
- there are no obvious health risks.
- the additive is technically necessary to produce a foodstuff.
- the use does not mislead the consumer.
- Which additives are permitted?
Overview of the individual functional classes of food additives (as of 06.10.2016, Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008. As already mentioned, there are almost 350 approved additives.
The functional classes according to (EC) No. 1333/2008:
Sweeteners, colorants, dyes, preservatives, carriers, acidifiers, acidity regulators, anti-foaming agents, fillers, emulsifiers, melting salts, firming agents, flavor enhancers, foaming agents, gelling agents, glazing agents, humectants, modified starches, packing gases, leavening gases, raising agents, complexing agents, stabilizers, thickeners, flour treatment agents.
Food additives and their impact on longevity
Additives are mostly found in ultra-processed foods, which are linked to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Read this:
- Nitrites/Nitrates: Used in processed meats; linked to increased cancer risk (especially colorectal).
- Artificial sweeteners: Mixed evidence; some studies suggest links to gut microbiota disruption or metabolic issues, though others show they are safe.
- Certain food dyes (coloring): Linked to behavioral issues in children (e.g., hyperactivity), though evidence is still debated.
- BHA/BHT: Preservatives that may have carcinogenic effects in animals, though human data is limited (Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene).
There are also harmless additvies, but in general, it can be said that fresh products require little or no additives. The more additives a product contains, the more unnatural it is. It is therefore best to choose products with few or, even better, no additives.
All Beyond Nutrition products are completely free of additives (with the exception of the vegan capsule shell) and therefore meet even the highest quality standards.
Sources
https://www.bvl.bund.de (German Government)
Scientific Opinion on the appropriateness of the food azo-colours (EFSA)