Guide to Additives

These are:

• Artificial Antioxidants
• Artificial Colours
• Artificial Flavour Enhancers
• Artificial Flavourings
• Artificial Preservatives
• Artificial Sweeteners

What are additives?

Food additives are substances added to food products – usually processed foods – to serve a particular purpose. The additives can be added during the production process, or afterwards during storage, and may be natural or synthetic.

Additives are used to improve the shelf-life, safety or appearance of a product, or improve the flavour or texture. Legally, Manufacturers must provide information about any additives used in their food products via the list of ingredients on the packaging.

But what do these additives actually do, and how might they appear on an ingredients list? We’ve put together this guide to reveal all...

Artificial Antioxidants

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are a type of additive that slow down the oxidation of food, so it takes longer to go bad. They do this by preventing oxygen from reacting with fats, stopping food and vegetables from turning brown, and keeping oils and fats fresh.

Examples of antioxidants used in food

• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
• Propyl gallate (PG)
• Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)
• Regulatory status
• Natural antioxidants: tocopherols and ascorbic acid
• Tocopherols (vitamin E)
• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

Foods that might have antioxidants added

• Fats
• Oils
• Spreads
• Meat products
• Poultry products
• Breakfast cereals
• Baked goods
• Snack foods
• Dairy products

Artificial Colours

What are artificial colours?

Artificial colours are lab-made additives added to food products (as well as medicine and cosmetics) to give them a brighter and more uniform appearance, as well amend or reduce colour loss that occurs during storage or being in the light.

Artificial colours are legally not permitted to be used in a way that misleads customers regarding food quality.

Examples of food colouring used in food products

• Allura Red AC (Red 40 / E129)
• Erythrosine (Red 3 / E127)
• Carmoisine (Azorubine / E122)
• Tartrazine (Yellow 5 / E102)
• Sunset Yellow FCF (Yellow 6 / E110)
• Quinoline Yellow (E104)
• Brilliant Blue FCF (Blue 1 / E133)
• Indigo Carmine (Blue 2 / E132)
• Green S (E142)

Food and drinks that might have food colouring added

• Sweets
• Soft drinks
• Breakfast cereals
• Ice cream
• Icing
• Canned fruit
• Snack foods
• Sauces
• Pet food
• Cheese
• Jelly

Following government-funded research into possible links between food colours and hyperactivity in children, food and drink containing any of the 6 colours listed below must carry a warning on the packaging that says ‘May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children’.

• sunset yellow FCF (E110)
• quinoline yellow (E104)
• carmoisine (E122)
• allura red (E129)
• tartrazine (E102)
• ponceau 4R (E124)

Artificial Flavour Enhancers

What are artificial flavour enhancers?

Artificial flavours are lab-made additives added to food products to enhance or bring out the product’s flavour and/or aroma. They are different to artificial flavourings in that they do not introduce new flavours to a food – they optimise the existing flavours, and are particularly assiciated with a rich and savoury Unami taste.

Salt is not an artificial flavour enhancer but it works in a similar way to them.

Examples of artificial flavour enhancers used in food products

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG / E621) (The most widespread synthetic and processed enhancer)
• Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides (E635)
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)

Food and drinks that might have artificial flavour enhancers added

• Crisps
• Snack foods (especially salty ones)
• Instant noodles
• Tinned soups
• Ready meals
• Frozen meals
• Sauces and gravies
• Stock cubes
• Sausages

Artificial Flavourings

What are artificial flavourings?

Artificial flavours are lab-made additives, often drawn from non-food sources, added to a food product in order to achieve a particular flavour or smell. They are often desgined to resemble the taste of different fruits, vanilla, butter or even nuts, and use the same molecular structure to mimic the natural source but at a lower cost.

Examples of artificial flavourings used in food products

• Diacetyl
• Isoamyl Acetate
• Ethyl Vanillin
• Benzaldehyde
• Allyl Hexanoate
• Ethyl Propionate

Food and drinks that might have artificial flavourings added

• Sweets
• Cookies
• Biscuits
• Packaged cakes
• Cake frosting
• Soft drinks
• Sports drinks
• Energy drinks
• Flavoured water
• Flavoured crisps
• Crackers
• Instant desserts
• Puddings

Artificial Preservatives

What are Artificial Preservatives?

Artificial preservatives are a type of lab-made additive used in food, medicine and cosmetic products to extend shelf life and prevent spoilage. They reduce the speed of decomposition (caused by mould, oxygen and bacteria) and are typically put in 3 categories – antimicrobials (stop bacteria from growing), antioxidants (prevent fats and oils oxidising) and chelating agents (stop metals speeding up breakdown of fats).

Examples of artificial preservatives used in food products

• Antimicrobials
• Antioxidants
• Chelating agents

Food and drinks that might have artificial preservatives added

• Baked goods
• Fruit juice
• Concentrated juice
• Salad dressings
• Pickles
• Processed meats
• Snacks foods
• Oils

Artificial Sweeteners

What are artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners are lab-made sugar substitutes, typically much sweeter than the sugar they have been created to imitate. They contain barely any calories and are especially associated with ‘diet’ food and drink, added in order to give a product a sweet taste but without the calories of sugar.

Safety with additives

Additives must be assessed for safety before they can be used in food. The government also ensures that:

• The science on additives is strictly reviewed
• The law is strictly enforced
• Action is taken where problems are found

Artificial sweeteners are popular but not the only sugar substitutes – the likes of agave and birch sugar are natural and also widely used. You can find out more about the different types of sugar alternatives here.

Examples of sweeteners used in food products

• Aspartame
• Sucralose
• Saccharin
• Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K)
• Neotame (Newtame)
• Advantame

Food and drinks that might have sweeteners added

• Chewing gum
• Diet soft drinks
• Snack foods
• Chocolate
• Sweets
• Mints
• Breakfast cereals
• Hot drinks

You can find government guidance regarding food additives here.