Download Food additives

Food ingredients
Spotlight on food additives
Ingredient List on the food label
• Lists all of the ingredients for a food by weight, from the
most to the least.
Example:
INGREDIENTS: WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, HIGH
MONOUNSATURATED CANOLA OIL, ALMOND PIECES, RAISINS, GOLDEN SYRUP,
SALT, CRISP RICE (RICE FLOUR, SOY PROTEIN, SUGAR, MALT, SALT), SOY
LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOUR
• Is a source of information for certain nutrients.
• Is a source of information for people with food allergies.
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What are food additives?
Any substances or chemicals added to food for
specific purposes.
The Health Canada definition:
A food additive is any chemical substance that is
added to food during preparation or storage
and either becomes a part of the food or
affects its characteristics for the purpose of
achieving a particular technical effect.
In Canada food additives do not
include:
• food ingredients such as salt, sugar, starch;
• vitamins, minerals, amino acids;
• spices, seasonings, flavouring preparations
(such as monosodium glutamate);
• agricultural chemicals;
• veterinary drugs; or
• food packaging materials.
Food additives are used to keep foods safer and
to make them more appealing.
There are over 2000 different additives in
common use today.
Additives added to foods must be listed on the
food nutrition label (under ingredients).
Types of food additives
• Anti-caking agents - stop ingredients from
becoming lumpy.
• Antioxidants - prevent foods from oxidising, or
going rancid.
• Artificial sweeteners - increase the sweetness.
• Emulsifiers - stop fats from clotting together.
• Food acids - maintain the right acid level.
• Colours - enhance or add colour.
• Humectants - keep foods moist.
Regulation
• Food additives are regulated in Canada under
the Food and Drug Regulations. All permitted
food additives and their conditions of use are
listed in the tables in Division 16 of the
Regulations.
• The Bureau of Chemical Safety within Health
Canada coordinates the assessment of food
additive submissions.
Are additives safe?
Health Canada must approve all food chemicals
before they can be added to food.
Toxicological tests are done on laboratory
animals to come up with a max. daily dose
with no obervable effects.
The allowable amount for human consumption
is about 100 times less.
Some examples
TARTARIC ACID, POTASSIUM ACID TARTRATE, SODIUM
POTASSIUM TARTRATE, SODIUM TARTRATE
Antioxidant used in beverages, candy, ice cream, baked
goods, yogurt, gelatin desserts, baking powder.
Tartaric acid occurs naturally in grapes, other fruits, and
coffee beans. It has an extremely tart, acidic taste,
which is useful in some foods. Most of the tartaric acid
we ingest is digested by bacteria in the intestines. The
20 percent that is absorbed is rapidly excreted in the
urine.
CALCIUM (or SODIUM) PROPIONATE
Preservative used in bread, rolls, pies, cakes.
Calcium propionate prevents mold growth on
bread and rolls. The calcium is a beneficial
mineral; the propionate is safe. Sodium
propionate is used in pies and cakes, because
calcium alters the action of chemical leavening
agents.
ALGINATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE
Thickening agent and foam stabilizer used in ice
cream, cheese, candy, yogurt, beer.
• Alginate, an apparently safe derivative
of seaweed (kelp), maintains the desired
texture in dairy products, canned frosting,
and other factory-made foods. Propylene
glycol alginate, a chemically-modified algin,
thickens acidic foods (soda pop, salad
dressing) and can stabilize the foam in beer.
SILICON DIOXIDE
• Artificial anticaking agent: Many powdered
foods like cake and pudding mixes as well as
sugar and salt.
POLYSORBATE 80
• Emulsifier: ice cream most commonly since it
makes ice cream smoother and easier to
handle, as well as increasing its resistance to
melting.
Want to know more about food additives in your
food? Visit the Food Additives Dictionary:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnan/securit/addit/diction/index-eng.php
If it is not in the dictionary, it is not a food
additive.
Effects on human health
Some food additives have been banned, others
are under suspicion but the evidence is not
clear on those.
It is up to you to assess the risks and make
decisions……
Food additives off the market
Cyclamate – an artificial sweetener that was
synthetically produced. It was banned in 1969
in the US but is still in use in many countries
including Canada. It was
associated with bladder cancer,
and damage to testes. Now not
thought to cause cancer directly,
but to increase the potency of other
carcinogens.
Ethylene glycol was used as a solvent for food
colour and flavourings. It was banned in 1998
because of evidence of kidney damage.
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BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA)
Antioxidant: Cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, vegetable oil.
Antioxidant
BHA retards rancidity in fats, oils, and oil-containing foods. While
some studies indicate it is safe, other studies demonstrate that it
causes cancer in rats, mice, and hamsters. Those cancers are
controversial because they occur in the forestomach, an organ that
humans do not have. However, a chemical that causes cancer in at
least one organ in three different species indicates that it might be
carcinogenic in humans. That is why the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services considers BHA to be "reasonably anticipated to
be a human carcinogen." Nevertheless, the Food and Drug
Administration still permits BHA to be used in foods. This synthetic
chemical can be replaced by safer chemicals (e.g., vitamin E), safer
processes (e.g., packing foods under nitrogen instead of air), or can
simply be left out (many brands of oily foods, such as potato chips,
don't use any antioxidant).
• SODIUM BENZOATE, BENZOIC ACID
• Preservative: Fruit juice, carbonated drinks, pickles.
• Manufacturers have used sodium benzoate (and its close relative
benzoic acid) for a century to prevent the growth of
microorganisms in acidic foods. The substances occur naturally in
many plants and animals. They appear to be safe for most people,
though they cause hives, asthma, or other allergic reactions in
sensitive individuals.
• Another problem occurs when sodium benzoate is used in
beverages that also contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The two
substances, in an acidic solution, can react together to form small
amounts of benzene, a chemical that causes leukemia and other
cancers. Though the amounts of benzene that form are small,
leading to only a very small risk of cancer, there is no need for
consumers to experience any risk. In the early 1990s the FDA had
urged companies not to use benzoate in products that also contain
ascorbic acid, but in the 2000s companies were still using that
combination. A lawsuit filed in 2006 by private attorneys ultimately
forced Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other soft-drink makers in the U.S.
to reformulate affected beverages, typically fruit-flavored products.
Health Claims
Disease risk reduction claims
Example: “A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats
may reduce the risk of heart disease. (Naming the food)
is free of saturated and trans fats.”
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Nutrition Claims
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Are regulated statements made
when a food meets certain criteria.
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They are optional, and may be
found only on some food products.
Nutrition Claims
When you want to decrease the amount of certain nutrients, look for:
Free
Low
Reduced
Light
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none or hardly any of this nutrient
an example is “sodium free”
a small amount
an example is “low fat”
at least 25% less of the nutrient compared with a
similar product
an example is “reduced in Calories”
can be used on foods that are reduced in fat or
reduced in Calories
Nutrition Claims
When you want to increase the amount of certain nutrients, look for:
Source
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contains a significant amount of the nutrient
an example is “source of fibre”
High or
good
source
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contains a high amount of the nutrient
an example is “high in vitamin C”
Very high
or
excellent
source
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contains a very high amount of the nutrient
an example is “excellent source of calcium”
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General Health Claims
• General health claims are generally developed:
by third party organizations
by corporations
• Consumers should not solely rely on general health claims to
make informed food choices.
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