What About Those Extra Ingredients?
adapted from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
For centuries, ingredients have served useful functions in a variety of foods. Today, consumers demand a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, safe, convenien
lorful, and affordable. Food additives and advances in technology help make that possible. There are thousands of ingredients used to make foods. The Food-ar
ug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3,000 ingredients in its data base. Still, some consumers have concerns about additives. They often see the long
familiar names and think of them as complex chemical compounds. In fact, every food we eat is made up of chemical compounds that determine flavor, color,
xture, and nutrient value. All food additives are carefully regulated by federal authorities to ensure that foods are safe to eat and are accurately labeled.
A food additive is any substance added to food. Legally, the term refers to "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to
sult-directly or indirectly in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food." Direct food additives are those that are added to
od for a specific purpose in that food. Most direct additives are identified on the ingredient label. Indirect food additives are those that become part of the food in
ce amounts due to its packaging, storage, or other handling. Food packaging manufacturers must prove to the FDA that all materials coming in contact with foo
e safe before they are permitted for use in such a manner.
A color additive is any dye, pigment, or substance that when added or applied to a food, drug, or cosmetic, or to the human body, is capable of imparting color.
DA is responsible for regulating all color additives. The FDA ensures that foods containing color additives are safe, contain only approved ingredients, and are
curately labeled. Color additives are used in foods for many reasons. One reason is to offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes,
Drag the tiles to the correct boxes to complete the pairs. Not all tiles will be used.
Match each statement from the passage with the message it represents.
The presence of chemicals
in additives should not
be a cause for concern.
People can trust that there
are no harmful side effects
from the ingredients in
their food.
People need to submit a
petition to the government
asking for more research
about additives they are
concerned about.
