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Are Food Additives Safe?

Are Food Additives Safe?. Kayla Pietig. What exactly is a food additive?. Technically a food additive is anything that you add to your food! Legally…. The Legal Definition.

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Are Food Additives Safe?

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  1. Are Food Additives Safe? Kayla Pietig

  2. What exactly is a food additive? • Technically a food additive is anything that you add to your food! • Legally…

  3. The Legal Definition • Legally, the term refers to "any substance where the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result -- directly or indirectly -- in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food." This definition includes any substance used in the production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation or storage of food.

  4. Think about this…. • Can you name a food additive?

  5. Why do we even use additives? • Uses: • Safety and Freshness • Nutritional Value • Improve Food Quality

  6. Regulation of food additives • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the primary and legal responsibility for approving food additives as “safe”. • Today food and color additives are more regulated and monitored than anytime in the past. • What does the FDA consider when approving additives?

  7. Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) • GRAS is a label that the FDA uses to describe various products that are added to our food • Items on the GRAS list are scientifically proven to be safe • If not approved for GRAS the FDA takes action to prevent the distribution of the product • Product must be proven safe for the intended use before they are allowed to be on the market

  8. Food Additive Types: • Direct food additives • Indirect food additives

  9. Color Additives • What are color additives? • Certified colors • Colors that are exempt from certification

  10. What are Color Additives Used For? • What are color additives used for? • Offset color loss • Correct color variations and add enhancements • To make foods more “fun”

  11. Common Additives You May Have Heard About…

  12. How are ingredients listed on the label? • Manufacturers are required to list all ingredients on the package label • Product order • Greatest amount to the least amount • How Ingredients are listed • Description • Use

  13. Commonly Researched Additives • Amaranth • Tartrazine • Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) • Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite

  14. Amaranth • Amaranth is a general term that refers to a whole family of herbs • The “Hopi Red Dye” was originally used by the Native American tribe , the Hopi for a deep red dye • Today we know it better as FD&C Red No. 2 • Uses • The “Red Scare”

  15. Amaranth… • A study was conducted to determine the possible carcinogenic affects of the color additive Amaranth • Done with mice • Mice were given a dose of 200 or 1000 mg/kg body weight • Examined the mice gut and feces after given the dose of amaranth

  16. Study Results…

  17. Is Amaranth Safe?? • Study Conclusions… • Supported amaranth as a safe additive • Amaranth is considered a non mutagenic substance

  18. Amaranth • Amaranth is still used in Canada and Europe today. • Despite research studies that support Amaranth as a safe additive the FDA banned its use in the United States based on the concept that the additive could possibly not be safe!

  19. Tartrazine • Also known as FD & C Yellow No. 5, C.I. No. 19140, and Food Yellow No. 4 • Orange/yellow powder that will dissolve in water • Uses

  20. Tartrazine Study • “Effects of tartrazine on exploratory behavior in a three-generation toxicity study in mice” • Study done with mice • Study Results • The levels of tartrazine that where used in this study did produce a few side-effects on neurobehavior through the generations of mice.

  21. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) • Uses • Carcinogen or Anti-Carcinogen??

  22. BHA as a Carcinogen • BHA as a carcinogen research… • Study done to determine the relationship between BHA and bladder cancer and cancer of the forestomach in mice • Study to determine BHA carcinogenic affects in Japanese House Shrews • Study Results • Increased cell growth and cancer in the forestomach of mice • Increased cell growth in the lungs

  23. Anti-Carcinogenic Affects of BHA • When given in large doses BHA may be a possible anticarcinogen • Still needs more research to confirm the claim • No definite answer!

  24. BHA • Carcinogen vs. anti-carcinogen • We do not fully understand how BHA works in both situations! • Still need more research • What can we believe about BHA? • No specific answer • Currently it is an approved additive that has been found to be safe by the FDA

  25. Sodium Nitrite & Sodium Nitrate • Uses • Found in meat and fish • Food safety? • Used as a tool to prevent food spoilage that causes food born illness • Is sodium nitrite a cause of cancer or other diseases?

  26. What do you think? • Is the research supporting the safety of additives trustworthy and reliable?

  27. Regulation of food additives • Once the additive is found safe and is approved: 1. The FDA issues regulations 2. Consultation with the USDA 3. Continued monitoring of the recently approved additive

  28. The Delaney Clause • An amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 • First Applied to the use of pesticides, but was later removed from the Delaney Clause when and amendment was added to the Food Quality and Protection Act • Current appears in the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act • Section 409- on food additives • Section 721- on color additives

  29. What do you think? • Do you think that the FDA current system in approving and monitoring food and color additives is adequate? • Do you think that they need more information, or need to provide more information about food additives on the label?

  30. How Can Consumers Find Information on Additive Safety? • Find information on what the FDA approves for food additives and which additives are on the GRAS list, visit: • www.fda.gov

  31. What Does the Research Say? • There is research available that support certain additives as a carcinogenic agent and there are also studies that show some additives are completely safe and could also have anti-cancer affects.

  32. Take Home Message • Food additives have been in use since medieval times as a way to preserve food and prevent spoilage. • Technological advances has allowed us to find new ways to preserve our foods while also adding flavor, color, and creating a desirable mouthfeel. • Food additives are in a majority of products we can consume and are currently regulated by the FDA for product safety.

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