Do you know what you’re reading when you see a list of food additives? We have the scoop on potential health risks associated with additives, and what you can do to navigate tricky ingredient labels.
What is an “Additive”?
A food additive is anything that a manufacturer adds to a product in order to:
- Improve the quality of the food.
(e.g. humectant to prevent icing from drying out)
- Preserve food to extend its shelf life or avoid spoilage.
(e.g. sulphur dioxide to preserve dried fruit or processed meats)
- Improve the taste and appearance of food.
(e.g. beeswax coating to make apples look shiny)
Additives include preservatives, colours, sweeteners, antioxidants, and more.
Anything beyond the fundamental ingredients of the food itself is considered an “additive” – e.g. water, sugar and lemon juice are the key ingredients for lemonade, but manufacturers could add additives like preservatives to prevent spoilage and extend shelf life; colours to make it look bright; flavours to enhance the taste; and artificial sweeteners to make it even sweeter.
Understanding food additives list on Australian ingredient labels
In Australia, most additives need to be identified on the ingredients label and are usually designated by a specific number.
Examples of groups of food additives include:
- Colours
- Preservatives
- Antioxidants
- Emulsifiers (to stop water and oil from separating), stabilisers, and thickeners
- Flavour enhancers (sometimes written as “Flavour”)
- Intense artificial sweeteners
Other additives include acidity regulators, anti-caking agents, bulking agents, foaming agents, gelling agents, glazing agents, humectants (which reduce moisture loss), and raising agents.
Click Here for a full list of all the food additives used in Australia, ordered by their label number.
Why additives are used in the food supply
It's important to note that not all additives are dangerous.
For example, additive 406 is agar, a natural gum that is often used in macrobiotic cooking and gluten-free baking. As an additive, it is used to thicken food or add a chewy or goopy texture.
Many food manufacturers may use additives to preserve flavour and prolong food safety. As a safety measure, all additives and colours, including the likely amount consumed, are assessed by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) authority before they are approved for use.
That being said, some research suggests that certain additives may pose a threat to health when consumed in large amounts Here's how to spot them and why you may want to avoid them:
Food Additives with potential health effects
Food colours
Colour additives can be natural or artificial. Artificial colours are lab-created. Natural colours are either taken directly from the natural source (e.g. beetroot or turmeric powder) or are re-created in a lab to be “nature identical” - that is, they create molecules that are identical to how they appear in nature.
Food colours & health
Could artificial food colours cause hyperactivity, and migraines? Frankly, the jury is out.
Three landmarks published in 2004 to 2007 called the “Southampton Studies” concluded that certain artificial colours may be linked to hyperactivity in children when combined with predisposing factors like genetics].
- However, more recent reviews concluded that many past studies on ADHD and food colours were heavily biased. A review of this study by FSANZ concluded that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a change in safety limits for these colours.
In Europe, products containing the Southampton colours must now display a warning: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”. However, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) found that most Australians consume less than 5% of the Acceptable Daily Limit of all artificial colours and that this low exposure “does not pose a public health and safety concern for Australians” , so there has been no extra labelling in Australia.
TIP: Hyperactivity in children may be due to a variety of reasons, so speak to a nutritionist and your GP before making any major diet changes.
What are the preservatives in food
Preventing food spoilage is important for public safety. Some preservatives are considered safe, however there are a few that you may want to avoid.
Benzoate (212) + Ascorbic Acid (330) → Benzene
Commonly found in soft drinks
Some soft drinks contain a combination of preservatives: sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate (212) and ascorbic acid (naturally occurring or as an additive 330).These react to form benzene, a potential carcinogen.
Nitrite (251) & Nitrate (250)
Commonly found in bacon, ham, salami and other processed meats
Processed meats like bacon and ham are often preserved with sodium nitrate (251) and sodium nitrite (250), two chemicals that can convert into nitrosamine during digestion. While nitrate and nitrite aren't carcinogenic themselves, nitrosamine is which may increase the risk of bowel cancer. Sulphites (220 – 228)
Commonly found in wine and dried fruits
Sulphur has been used as a food preservative since Greek and Roman times. It preserves food's natural colours, prevents bacterial and yeast growth, and stops fresh produce from spoiling. Excessive intake of sulphur may also trigger asthma attacks in some individuals. Sulphite additives are most commonly found in high amounts in wine and dried fruits, and sulphur dioxide (220) is the most notorious for triggering asthma.
Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar is a popular topic at the moment, but replacing it with certain artificial sweeteners may be a poor option for some individuals.
Sweeteners such as sucralose (955), saccharine (954) and sugar alcohols (e.g. xylitol) are permitted in the food supply but they may cause some people to experience allergies, migraines, and gastrointestinal upsets. The most controversial sweetener of all is aspartame.
- Aspartame (951) is a sweetener that has been linked to multiple side effects. Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, and is created by joining two amino acids together – phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Aspartame is most commonly found in “diet” or “low sugar” food and drinks.
Observational studies in humans have found Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners may increase weight gain and interfere with blood glucose and insulin, therefore increasing the risk of chronic disease.
The best way to reduce total exposure to food additives is to eat minimally processed wholefoods such as vegetables, fruit, lean proteins, wholegrains, and dairy, according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
TIP: Making sudden, major dietary changes may sometimes cause more harm than good. If you suspect you are suffering from symptoms caused by additives, a healthcare professional may help to identify which ones may be responsible and help you to make targeted, healthy dietary changes.
Related reads:
References
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/food-additives#types-of-food-additives
- https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sites/default/files/consumer/additives/additiveoverview/Documents/Food%20additives%20-%20numberical%20May%202019.pdf
- https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-standards-code
- https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/additives/foodcolour
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/food-additives#some-common-food-additives-that-may-cause-problems
- Sambu, S., Hemaram, U., Murugan, R., & Alsofi, A. A. (2022). Toxicological and Teratogenic Effect of Various Food Additives: An Updated Review. BioMed Research International, 2022, e6829409. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9249520/
- https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr240_E.pdf
- https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=37&toxid=14#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Health%20and,harmful%20to%20the%20reproductive%20organs
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4745501/
- https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/questions-and-answers-occurrence-benzene-soft-drinks-and-other-beverages#q4
- Dordevic, D., Capikova, J., Dordevic, S., Bohuslava Tremlová, Márió Gajdács, & Kushkevych, I. (2023). Sulfur content in foods and beverages and its role in human and animal metabolism: A scoping review of recent studies. Heliyon, e15452–e15452.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10130226/
- Shaher, S. A. A., Mihailescu, D. F., & Amuzescu, B. (2023). Aspartame Safety as a Food Sweetener and Related Health Hazards. Nutrients, 15(16), 3627. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10459792/
- Palmnäs, M. S. A., Cowan, T. E., Bomhof, M. R., Su, J., Reimer, R. A., Vogel, H. J., Hittel, D. S., & Shearer, J. (2014). Low-Dose Aspartame Consumption Differentially Affects Gut Microbiota-Host Metabolic Interactions in the Diet-Induced Obese Rat. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e109841. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4197030/
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