Additives , which appear as E numbers in the nutritional
information of many foods, there are currently more than 300 different. They
are used in particular for the production of finished food products in order to
influence their properties such as taste, color, shelf life or consistency.
Read more about the importance of additives and what's behind them here.
What are additives?
Hundreds of food additives are permitted in the European
Union (EU). They are valid in all EU countries, some even worldwide. Additives
are mainly used for ready-made foods. The "E" in the E numbers stands
for EG or EU.
Each additive is assigned to a category or group. However,
some additives fall into several groups. For example, carbon dioxide (E 290) is
an acidifier, preservative, propellant and leavening agent. The E numbers must
always be specified specifically on the food. There are, however, a few
exceptions, for example the emulsifiers. Here only the indication of the
substance group is required.
There are also some substances that are added to food but
are not considered additives:
• Food that
has a coloring effect and that is added on the basis of flavoring, taste or
nutritional properties
• Substances
that are not consumed but only used to wrap or coat certain foods
• Pectin in
foods that come from apples or citrus peel
• Bases for
making chewing gum
• Various
starch products (e.g. roasted or physical
modified starch)
• Ammonium
chloride
• Edible
gelatine, protein hydrolysates, milk protein, gluten, blood plasma
• Amino
acids that, unlike e.g. B. glutamic acid, glycine, cysteine and cystine, do not
have the function of an additive
• Casein
and caseinates
• insulin
Identification of additives
All additives used must be specified in the list of
ingredients. Instead of the chemical name, the simpler E number is (usually)
given. The regulations applicable to additives in food for all EU member states
are laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and
of the Council. The list of the E numbers is specified in Germany in the
Additive Admissions Ordinance (ZZuIV).
Some E-substances such as the sugar alcohol sorbitol are
indicated with “quantum satis” (“qs”), which describes the amount that is
required according to good manufacturing practice to achieve the desired effect
without the consumer being misled. Other additives must not exceed a certain
maximum amount (e.g. preservatives in the surface treatment of hard and
semi-hard cheese).
Since July 20, 2010, a warning ("May impair activity
and attention in children") has to be shown on the packaging if the
coloring agents E 102 and E 122 (see list of additives above) or other
synthetic coloring agents are used.
In the case of unpackaged food, a general note such as “with
flavor enhancer”, “with color” or “sulphurized” is sufficient.
Additives that do not have a “technological effect in the
end product” are not subject to labeling, i.e. foods that do not contain any
food additives themselves, but which have certain additives added to precursor
products.
Even with foods that are sold individually (e.g. sweets) or
whose packaging area is less than ten square centimeters, the list of
ingredients and thus the indication of additives can be omitted.
Additives: are they questionable?
The question of the danger posed by additives can hardly be
answered unequivocally. More than half of the permitted additives are
considered harmless and, in general, all food that is sold in Germany must be
safe. This means that additives must be approved. For example, harmful residues
of pesticides are prohibited.
However, a residual uncertainty remains. Certain additives
are suspected of causing (pseudo) allergies (tingling in the mouth, rash).
In principle, the respective food business operator is responsible
for the safety of his products, but there is also an internationally
coordinated security system and competent authorities (in this country the
Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection / BMEL). You are
constantly re- evaluating the risks in the area of additives and continuously
adapting the regulations and structures.
techdirtblog slashdotblog justhealthguide healthandblog supercomputerworld
