Artificial food preservatives keep food from spoiling, changing color and breaking down during shipping. The Food and Drug Administration ensures that all food additives are safe, but it is often hard to know the long-term effects of all the chemicals that are added to foods. Some preservatives, such as sodium benzoate and nitrites, have gotten a lot of bad press due to accusations that they can cause cancer. On the whole, artificial food preservatives keep food safe and cause relatively little trouble to the consumer.
Advantages
Artificial food preservatives keep food from spoiling on the shelves, and they keep bacteria from growing in food after it is exposed to air, light, fungus or yeast. Some preservatives keep food from clumping or separating, and they help keep the texture consistent. Preservatives also can add nutrients lost in processing or include nutrients that the food does not normally contain. Flavors and colorings are added to foods to ensure that the food does not turn brown or to make food taste better to the consumer.
Disadvantages
The FDA thoroughly tests all food preservatives and additives for safety before allowing them into the food supply, but that does not guarantee that no side effects occur from them. For instance, a study published in "The Lancet" in 2007 found that the preservative sodium benzoate and food colorings caused children to exhibit symptoms of attention deficit disorder. Some people have sensitivities to additives, such as monosodium glutamate, and need to stay away from them. More testing into the safety of artificial food preservatives is necessary to determine if these additives are as safe as they seem.
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium benzoate, or benzoic acid, is a common preservative used in soft drinks, juices and pickles. It is used to prevent the growth of bacteria in foods that are highly acidic. Recently, it has come under scrutiny for a little-known reaction when mixed with ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, according to The Center for Science in the Public Interest. When these two chemicals come together, a small amount of the toxin benzene is formed. Benzene is a known carcinogen. A lawsuit was filed in 2006 against the major beverage companies to force them to stop mixing this preservative with ascorbic acid.
Nitrates
Nitrites, also known as nitrates, sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, is a preservative used primarily in hot dogs, lunch meats, ham and bacon. It also is a flavor enhancer and coloring. The problem with this preservative is that a cancer-causing agent called nitrosamines are created during the cooking process or in the stomach. The risk of getting cancer from hot dogs is small, but this preservative still has the potential. Even all natural products that contain no nitrites might still have high natural nitrites. The replacement is celery powder that sometimes contains 10 times the amount of nitrites as regular meats.
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