What are food additives?

(updated May 2006)

Food additives are an important component of our food supply. They mean that we can enjoy a wide variety of foods throughout the year. They also have an important role in ensuring that our food lasts longer and is easier to use.

There are good reasons for the use of food additives. They can be used to:

• improve the keeping quality or stability of a food. For example, sorbitol - humectant (420) - may be added to mixed dried fruit to maintain the moisture level and softness of the fruit;
• preserve food when this is the most practical way of extending its storage life. For example, sulphur dioxide - preservative (220) - is added to some meat products such as sausage meat to prevent the bacteria that cause food spoilage from growing; and
• improve the taste or appearance of a processed food. For example, lecithin - emulsifier (322) - may be added to margarine to help maintain texture.

Additives are used in processed foods in relatively small quantities. Many substances used as additives also occur naturally, such as   ascorbic acid (300) in fruit and lecithin (322) in eggs or soy beans.

How do I know what additives are in food?

If you want to know more about a particular food additive look at the ingredient list on the food label where you will find the additives name and number, for example, food acid (260).

You can use this information to gain a better understanding of what is in the food you eat and why different food additives are used.

This is an example of an ingredient list, which might appear on a packaged stir-fry meal:

Ingredients - pork, wheat flour, capsicum, pineapple, green beans, sweet corn, sugar, tomato paste, pineapple concentrate, thickener (1422), food acids (270, 260), soy sauce, salt, natural flavours, vegetable gum (415), water added.

The name of an approved food additive must be spelt out in full on a food label if it doesn't have an appropriate class name or if a number hasn't been allocated to it.

What do additives do?

Some food additives have more than one use. Food additives are listed according to their functional or class names;

• colours add or restore colour to foods;
• preservatives help protect against deterioration caused by micro-organisms;
• sweetenersare substances which impart a sweet taste for fewer kilojoules/calories than sugar;
• flavour enhancers improve the flavour and/or aroma of food;
• flavourings restore taste losses due to processing, maintain uniformity and make food more palatable;
• anticaking agents keep powdered products such as salt, flowing freely when poured;
• emulsifiers help to prevent oil and water mixtures separating into layers;
• food acids help maintain a constant level of sourness in food;
• humectants prevent foods such as dried fruits from drying out;
• mineral salts improve the texture of foods, such as processed meats;
• thickeners and vegetable gums improve texture and maintain uniform consistency;
• stabilisers maintain the uniform dispersion of substances in a food;
• glazing agents impart a shiny appearance or provide a protective coating to a food;
• propellants are gases which help propel food from a container.

Who controls the use of food additives?

The use of food additives in foods is regulated by the Food Standards Code and enforced in Australia under State and Territory food laws. Foods made in New Zealand may also comply with the provisions of the Food Standards Code. The uses of food additives in foods are regulated in a general standard for food additives.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is responsible for the development of, or variation to, food standards in the Food Standards Code. The FSANZ Board recommends its decisions to a Ministerial Council, made up of State, Territory, Commonwealth and New Zealand Ministers, prior to adoption into the Code.

Before FSANZ recommends the use of any new additive in a particular food, we need to know:

Is the additive safe to eat (at the requested level in that particular food)?

Are there good technological reasons for the use of the additive?

Will consumers be clearly informed about its presence?

Only if we are satisfied on these points will we recommend a maximum level of the additive permitted in particular foods, based on technological need and providing it is well within safe limits.

Food additive safety

FSANZ only allows for the use of additives if it can be demonstrated that no harmful effects are expected to result. This involves our scientists evaluating the data obtained from extensive testing of the additive. A decision on food additive safety is basedwhether dietary intake of the food additive is likely to exceed the acceptable daily intake (ADI), which is the amount of a food additive that can be eaten every day for an entire lifetime without adverse effect  FSANZ will review food additive safety if the usage in the Australian and New Zealand food supply changes or is proposed to be changed.

The general standard for food additives

FSANZ established the general standard for food additives as part of the overall review of all food standards as part of the process to harmonise food standards for Australia and New Zealand .   The general standard contains specific approvals for some additives in specified foods at maximum permitted levels as well as schedules of additives which are permitted in many processed foods.

The additive permissions in each individual food standard were reviewed to bring it up to date with the modern food supply. This included dietary evaluation in Australia and New Zealand to ensure that consumption is well within safe levels even for big eaters of certain foods.

The general standard for food additives is more flexible, allowing for industry to develop new products while ensuring public health and safety. It also brings Australia and New Zealand into line with international standards, which will help our exports.

Intolerance and food additives

Adverse reactions to food additives occur in a small proportion of the population.

A few people are intolerant to some food additives. Intolerance does not depend on whether the food additive is derived from a natural or synthetic source. More people are intolerant to common foods (such as peanuts, milk or eggs) than to food additives.

The labelling of food products helps people who are sensitive to some food additives to avoid them.

Information on Additives

If you want more information on a particular food additive in a food, then ring the manufacturer. You can find their address on the food label and many also provide toll free telephone numbers.

FSANZ has also produced a booklet called “The Official Shopper's guide to food additives and labels”, which is published by Murdoch Books. The booklet sells for a RRP of $4.95 in Australia and $5.95 in New Zealand through bookshops, supermarkets and newsagencies.

The ISBN number for this booklet is 1 74045 1856

For more information you may also like to look at the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives websites: < http://www.inchem.org/pages/jecfa.html or http://jecfa.ilsi.org/search.cfm. This is an international web site that also explain about the assessment and approval of food additives.