Download Chapter 16 – Food Additives

Chapter 16 – Food Additives
1) In Canada, what government agency controls food additives?
In Canada, Health Canada controls food additives under the Food and Drugs Act and
regulations.
2) Before a food additive is used, what must a manufacturer do?
Before a food additive may be used, a manufacturer is required to file a food additive
submission, which must contain the following information:
 Results of safety tests
 How the additive will be used
 Benefits of the additive to the consumer
3) Why is it important to be informed about food additives?
It is important to be informed about food additives because of allergy and sensitivities
to particular ingredients or chemicals, or for other health and personal reasons.
4) Why does Canada set rules for fortification?
Food fortification or enrichment means adding one or more vitamins or minerals to a
food whether or not that food naturally contains it. Canada has rules for the addition
of nutrients to food because:
 Random nutrient addition may cause too many or too few nutrients to be added.
This could lead to health problems.
 Rules protect consumers from misleading messages about what nutrients can do.
 The quality of the food supply is maintained.
5) “An eating plan relies heavily on fat-free treats may lack the proper balance of
foods outlined in Canada’s Food guide to Healthy Eating.” Explain this statement.
An eating plan that relies on fat-free treats does not offer balance. It does not
include all the groups in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, often resulting in a
nutrient shortage that may lead to health problems. It also reduces the amount of
variety in the diet, with the result that eating may become boring.
6) Explain three functions of food additives.
Food additives can:
 Add or stabilize the colour 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, and anti-caking agent, among other
things
7) How have additives affected the food supply?
Food additives have affected the food supply in a number of ways:
 Increased the self 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 added needed nutrients (eg. Vitamin D to milk)
8) Why dies the statement “No sugar added” cause confusion?
“No sugar added” means that during processing no sugar was added, but the food itself
(eg fruit juice) may contain sugar.
9) What is MSG used for?
 is the sodium salt of the naturally occurring amino acid, glutamic acid which makes up
10 to 25 % of all food protein, from both animal and vegetable sources.
 MSG is an artificial and natural flavourings, flavour enhancers that companies often
keep the identity of flavourings a secret.
 North Americans consume 25 000 tones of MSG a year
10) What are two ways you can avoid additives if you wish?
 Eat Fresh food
 Do not eat processed foods
 Know where your food has come from
 Know what your food has been cooked in
 Read ingredients list
 Ask questions
Key Terms:
Enrichment: A process in which some nutrients lost as a result of processing are added
back to the product.
Food Additives: Chemicals added to food to preserve freshness or enhance colour and
flavour.
Food Additives:
Additive
Beta Carotene
Aspartame
Function
Artificial
Colouring and
Colour
Stabilizers: Used
to make food
appeal to the eye
Sweeteners
Corn Syrup
Thickeners,
stabilizers: Keep
factory-made
food mixed
Citric Acid
Calcium
Antioxidants:
Slow down or
prevent rancidity
in fats, oils, and
oil-containing
foods, or
browning when
fruit veggies are
cut and exposed
to the air
Nutrients
Caffeine
Stimulant
Used in These Foods
Candy, Pop, Gelatin, desserts,
margarine, shortening, non-milk
whiteners, cereals, fruit drink, cured
meats, cheese, breakfast cereals,
marshmallows
Bake goods, chewing gum, soft
drinks, gelatin, desserts, diet foods,
low-calorie foods, frozen desserts,
sweeteners packets for restaurants,
marshmallows, table sugar,
sweetened foods
Ice cream, cheese, candy, yogurt,
pop, salad dressing, drink mixes,
chocolate milk, toppings, syrups,
snack foods, imitation dairy foods,
marshmallows, beverages, frozen
pudding, cottage cheese
Vegetable oil, cereals, chewing gum,
potato chips, vegetable oil and ice
cream
Cereals, Fruit Drinks, Cured meats.
Pasta and milk
Coffee, Tea, Hot Cholcolate, coffeeflavoured products, such as yogurt
and frozen desserts, soft drinks and
chewing gum
Monoglycerides
Corn Starch
Glycerin
Emulsifiers:
Keeps oil and
water mixed;
make bread
softer; prevent
spoilage; make
caramels less
sticky; prevent
the oil in peanut
butter from
separating
Anti-caking
Agent: prevent
lumping of power
Maintains water
content
Bake goods, margarine, candy and
peanut butter
Popcorn, seasoning, icing sugar
Candy, Baked Goods and Fudge
Part D:
1) Torula Yeast, Dextrose, Sugar, Salt, Spice, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein, Onion Powder,
Monosodium Glutamate, US Certified Colour, Extractives of Paprika & Other Spices, Garlic
Powder, Disodium Guanylate, Natural Flavour, Silica – Added as an anti-caking agent.
 Popcorn Seasoning (Kernels)
2) Macaroni: Enriched Wheat Flour, Cheddar Cheese
Sauce: Modified Milk Ingredients, Cheese (Milk, Bacterial Culture, Salt, Rennet and/or
Microbial Enzyme, Calcium Chloride, Lipase), Salt, Sodium Phosphates, Citric Acid, Colour
(Contains Tartrazine).
 Macaroni and Cheese
3) Partly Skimmed Milk, Sugar, Cocoa, Lodified Milk Ingredients, Salt, Carrageenan,
Artificial Flavour, colour, Vitamin A, Palmitate, Vitamin D3
 Chocolate Drink (Neilsen)