Additives and preservatives have their place, but many of these “chemical culprits” have far-reaching effects on the health of adults and children alike. Karen Inge tells us why some foods we eat are a recipe for disaster.
Do food additives worry you? If yes, you’re not alone. Many Australians believe that additives such as preservatives are harmful to our health and that artificial colours cause behavioural and learning difficulties, such as ADHD. Yet the truth is while some adults and children are sensitive to food additives and will experience mild to severe side effects, most of us won’t.
As a general rule of thumb, the ones most likely to cause problems are those that are not essential. They “dress up” the food to make it more appealing, such as artificial colours, flavour enhancers and some preservatives. And the number of processed foods without these “chemical culprits” is growing significantly.
So, why were they added and what do they mean for your family’s health and wellbeing?
What is a food additive?
Food additives are substances added to foods to keep them fresh, preserve their flavour or enhance their colour, taste, texture or appearance. They can extend shelf life and, in some cases, improve nutritional value and ensure food is safe to eat.
Food additives are chemical substances, some made artificially in laboratories, such as artificial colours and flavours. Others are derived from nature, such as cochineal (120), the red dye from an insect, or extracted from a food such as lecithin (322) from egg yolk, or the thickener (410) derived from the locust bean. Yet just because an additive is “natural” it doesn’t mean it won’t cause problems for food-sensitive people.
Related: Additives and hyperactivity
What do additives do?
Here are the most common additives and their functions:
Anti-caking agents stop ingredients from becoming lumpy.
Anti-oxidants prevent foods from oxidising or going rancid.
Artificial sweeteners increase the sweetness without the kilojoules.
Emulsifiers/stabilisers ensure that oil and water mixtures (such as dressings) do not separate into layers, plus they stop fats clotting together.
Food acids maintain the right acid level, important for taste and controlling bugs.
Colours enhance or add colour. These are not really necessary and can cause problems, especially behavioural, when consumed in large amounts.
Humectants prevent foods from drying out.
Flavours restore losses during processing and make food taste better.
Flavour enhancers improve the existing flavour and/or aroma.
Mineral salts enhance texture.
Preservatives stop microbes from multiplying and spoiling the food.
Thickeners enhance texture.
Stabilisers help stop ingredients from separating.
Flour treatment improves baking quality.
Glazing agent improves appearance and can protect food.
Propellants help propel food from a container.
The Australian Food Standards Code requires food labels to list all ingredients in descending order by weight, including food additives. They must be identified by their class name and an individual name, such as flavour enhancer (monosodium glutamate), or, for simplicity, a code number can be used, such as flavour enhancer (621).
Are food additives safe?
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and bodies overseas ensure additives are safe, rigorously animal testing to determine the safe level for humans. Usually this is 100 times less than the maximum, where “no observable effects” are produced by an additive consumed over the test animal’s lifetime. If there is any doubt over safety, approval is not given and, if new scientific information suggests that a food additive is no longer safe, the approval for that additive is withdrawn.
While this is reassuring for the majority of us, it doesn’t help those who are food-chemical sensitive because, in some cases, even small amounts of the offending chemical can cause upset.
Reactions to food additives
For most people, the majority of additives are not a problem. However, 50 of the 400 currently approved additives in Australia have been associated with adverse reactions in some people. These reactions include:
Digestive disorders – diarrhoea, colicky pains.
Nervous disorders – insomnia, irritability.
Behavioural problems – ADHD.
Respiratory problems – asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis.
Skin problems – hives, itching, rashes, swelling.
To put reactions to additives in perspective, the leading cause of food allergies and intolerances are natural: milk, wheat, eggs, nuts, seafood and soy.
If you believe you have any food intolerance, then medical diagnosis is important. If you try to diagnose yourself, you may restrict your diet unnecessarily and neglect an illness. The Dietitians Association of Australia website (www.daa.asn.au) can help locate an Accredited Practising Dietitian to help and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s Allergy website (www.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/allergy/) has useful information.
Additives to watch out for
- Preservatives Sodium benzoate (211) is effective in reducing spoilage in acidic foods such as vinegar, salad dressing, fruit juice and soft drink. There have been some concerns about the combination of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). When the two are mixed, they can form the chemical benzene, known to be carcinogenic. However, sodium benzoate alone is not considered a carcinogen and you would have to consume large amounts of it to have toxic levels in your body.
- Nitrates (249-252) A group of preservatives used in processed meats such as bacon, ham, salami and some sausages such as frankfurts. Nitrates are relatively harmless, but when a breakdown product of nitrates called nitrites react with the protein in meat, nitrosamines are formed and these are cancer-causing compounds that may increase the risk of stomach cancer.
- Sulphites (220-225 and 228) These are the sulphur compounds often added to dried apricots and apples to stop them darkening, and to pickled onions, sundried tomatoes and many wines. The most common reaction to these preservatives is wheeziness, especially in asthma sufferers.
- Flavour enhancers Monosodium glutamate (621) is added to foods such as hydrolysed vegetable protein, soy sauce, Vegemite. International scientific assessments have been conducted and none have conclusively linked MSG to asthma or the so-called “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. However, there are some who are sensitive to MSG and have reported headaches and wheeziness. MSG also occurs naturally in many foods.
- Food colourings If your child is showing signs of ADHD, such as finding it hard to concentrate, can’t pay attention, is hyperactive and impulsive, they may be reacting to something in their food. Colourings and preservatives are likely culprits when it comes to boisterous behaviour, but they won’t cause ADHD, although they may make the symptoms worse, according to a recent study in The Lancet. It revealed that a strict elimination diet significantly improved ADHD symptoms in 64 per cent of the children studied and reintroducing foods made the symptoms worse again.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of artificial colours in foods. In the US, UK and the EU, bans? (am checking this with Karen – Mads) and warnings have been issued about six colours that we still use in Australia: tartrazine (102), quinoline yellow (104), sunset yellow (110), carmoisine (122), ponceau 4R (124) and allura red (129).
Associate Professor Wendy Oddy, of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, says food additives might play a part in behavioural and emotional issues, and double the risk of having ADHD. Sweets and soft drink are high in food colourings and flavourings, so an overload of chemicals could contribute, though she suspects the main culprit may be what these teenagers [itals] aren’t [end itals] eating. What’s missing from highly processed foods – and probably crucial for brain health – are omega-3 fats and B vitamins, including folate, found in wholegrains, leafy green vegetables, legumes and some fruit.
Better food choices
We should all be trying to eat foods as close to the natural source as possible, or that are produced using methods that avoid the need for additives. Ideally, we want to eat food that is free from too many added synthetic chemical additives which serve no purpose, but are only there for visual appeal.
It is better to choose foods that include natural colours made from fruit and vegetables, such as carrot and beetroot, algae and spices such as paprika, saffron and turmeric. Beware of natural colours such as cochineal, a red dye from the cochineal insect, as some people have had allergic reactions.
Cooking from scratch means you have control over what you and your family eats. Go for fresh, frozen or canned ingredients, which don’t require additives, or organic foods because their ingredients or processing methods are free from anything artificial.
To minimise bacterial growth, you need to store your food well, either in airtight containers or in the fridge or freezer. And when you are selecting packaged or processed foods, read the labels so you know what’s in your food. Then the choice is yours.
Your say: Have you had any bad experiences with food additives? Share your experience in the comments below
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