Substances added to industrial foods to preserve, color, or texture them.
Substances intentionally added to food during manufacturing for technological reasons: preservation, coloring, texturization, and flavoring.
In Europe, authorized additives are indicated by an E code (E100-E1520). They have all been evaluated by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). Some are natural (E300 = vitamin C), while others are synthetic. Controversy surrounds the long-term effects of additive mixtures (cocktail effect) that individual evaluations do not capture.
Ensuring microbiological safety, stability, and attractiveness of industrial food products.
Read labels and limit products with long lists of additives. Cooking at home reduces exposure.
Not all additives are dangerous, but their accumulation in ultra-processed food is a warning sign.
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