SELECTED FOOD ADDITIVES, FLAVOURS,
COLOURS, EMULSIFIERS, ENHANCERS, ETC.
This is a simple selection, a small sample of additives that are commonly asked about.
Space doesn't permit an in-depth examination of ALL of the extra ingredients and enhancers that are added to our foods. (Preservatives are addressed on another page).
As an "overview" perspective, I offer the following:
Human beings have added ingredients to foods for millenia, whether to enhance the taste or aroma, the texture, the digestibility, the appearance, or to balance the sourness, bitterness, or to enable the food to be eaten days, weeks, or months in the future.
In general, food regulators have taken evidence-based approaches to ensuring the safety of these extra ingredients in our foods, with the result that most current additives are generally recognized as safe. From time to time, new evidence comes to light about the increased risks from one of them, and following a review, that material may be restricted or prohibited. Recently, erythrosin (Citrus red #3) was an example. The detailed, objective analysis revealed that the risk to human health was not actually measurable on any realistic scale. As a result, some international regulators have restricted Citrus Red #3, and others have not. Personally, I take a slightly different path: If the additive is not "necessary", and the nutrition is the same, I'd prefer NOT to have the additive in my food, regardless of the outcome of the analysis.
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Should I be worried about MSG in food?
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Let’s address what MSG (monosodium glutamate) really is: some facts....
Glutamate is an amino acid, found in all protein-containing foods. This amino acid is one of the most abundant and important components of proteins. Glutamate occurs naturally in protein-containing foods such as cheese, milk, mushrooms, meat, fish, and many vegetables. It is added in higher concentrations (in the form of monosodium glutamate) when especially rich tastes are preferred, especially in those foods with the “umami” characteristics. Regulators in most countries (including the US FDA) classify MSG as a food ingredient that's generally recognized as safe.
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Some people have reported reactions to MSG after eating — including headache, flushing, sweating, face pressure or tightness, lack of feeling, (numbness), tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas, quick, fluttering heartbeats.
But researchers have found no clear proof of a link between MSG and these symptoms. It is possible that a small percentage of people may have short-term reactions to MSG that are usually mild and don't need to be treated.
If you think you are sensitive to MSG the appropriate action is not to eat foods that have MSG. But for most people, there will be no effect, other than taste-enhancement.
People on a sodium-reduced diet should avoid MSG as a source of extra sodium.
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