Thousands of additives are used in the foods most people eat from day to day, according to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. Additives are used for purposes such as making foods more colorful, enhancing flavor in foods and giving foods a longer shelf life. The additives in foods you can buy at the store have been tested for safety, but some people contend that certain additives aren't safe for consumption.
Safety Measures
Additives are closely studied and regulated to reduce potential risks to consumers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, is in charge of implementing safety standards and assessing whether a substance can safely be used for the purpose it is intended for. The process begins when a manufacturer petitions the FDA to approve its new additive. However, the manufacturer must include in the petition reasonable evidence that the substance is safe. The FDA then examines the properties of the substance and assesses how it is composed, gauges how much of the substance would generally be consumed and assesses any potential health effects. If the FDA has any reason to believe a certain quantity of an additive could be harmful, it may approve a tiny percentage of that quantity to be used in foods.
Considerations
The FDA warns that it can never be fully certain that all approved additives are risk-free because science can only prove safety to a certain degree. As a result, it can only offer reasonable certainty based on the most modern scientific abilities. The FDA can take further steps to test a product that is on the market or remove an additive from the market if any evidence of consumer health risks comes to light. It may also re-examine a product if the public begins to consumer higher levels of a certain additive.
Potential Risks
Some food additives that are approved for consumption may be hazardous to sensitive individuals. For instance, you may have a negative reaction to sulfites -- which are used to help prevent some foods from browning -- if you are an asthmatic. You could also be the one in every 5,000 to 10,000 individuals who develops itching and hives after consuming the coloring additive FD&C Yellow #5, according to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. Other additives that have been linked to risks in some people are monosodium glutamate, or MSG, and the artificial sweetening agent aspartame.
Making Healthy Choices
Regularly read the list of ingredients on your food labels. If you notice that you begin to have a negative health reaction after eating certain types of food, you may be able to find a correlation between your symptoms and the additives in those foods. Remove suspicious additives from your regular diet for the span of a few days and you may stop experiencing those symptoms, as no food additive is known to cause a reaction that lasts for over one day, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Bring up your findings when you see your doctor. If he agrees that an additive is the likely culprit, report your reactions to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System.
References
- Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Food Additives
- College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at the University of Arizona: Food Additives -- Are They Safe?; 2006; C. Curtis, et al
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Ingredients and Colors; November, 2004
- MedlinePlus: Food Additives
- My Family Doctor: What Are Additives?; Jeff Geller, M.D.; 2008
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