We often think of food additives as complex chemical substances produced by our modern society. However, the use of food additives dates to ancient times. Early people used salt to preserve meat and fish, herbs and spices to season foods, sugar to preserve fruits, and vinegar to pickle cucumbers.

Today food manufacturers use nearly 3000 direct food additives. Some of these additives sound familiar like salt, sugar, yeast and vanilla. Others have complex scientific names that may sound unfamiliar, like ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), sodium benzoate, sodium erythorbate and carageenan. Whether familiar or not, all food additives serve a useful function and must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be included in food.

A food additive is any substance that becomes part of a food product either directly or indirectly during some phase of processing, storing or packaging. Additives can either be derived from naturally occurring or synthetic materials. Direct additives are purposefully added to food in very small quantities as a result of growing, processing or packaging. Food additives can only be used for specific purposes. They must serve a useful function. Manufacturers cannot use additives to deceive the consumer by disguising faulty processing or concealing damage or spoilage, nor if alternative manufacturing practices are available that are both safe and economical. Nor can food additives be used if they significantly decrease the nutritional value of the food.