Beware food additives

Fact: Anything that’s present in food other than the basic foodstuff is an additive. Anything at all. It could be a substance that is used to change the way food (or beverage) tastes, or the way it looks. It may be added to increase the food’s shelf life or to improve its nutritional quality.

Additives are generally put into food during production, processing or packaging. Look around a typical supermarket and you’ll see just how much of the food is highly processed and contains numerous food additives.

But why are more and more parents increasingly worried about food additives? Well, according to a study commissioned by Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) a few years ago, specific food additives have been proven to have an adverse effect on children.

Scientists at the University of Southampton found a definitive link between artificial food additives and hyperactivity in young children. The team of researchers warned they were doing as much damage to children’s brains as lead in petrol. Damning words indeed.

DURABLE FOOD

The six artificial colourings –  tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104), and allura red AC (E129) and one preservative, sodium benzoate, were all associated with some sort of medical risk, including hyperactivity, mood swings, asthma, allergic reactions and intolerance.

Furthermore, new research shows that mixtures of additives can have a much more potent effect on kids’ nerve cells than each additive on its own. For example, the effect on cells was up to seven times greater when quinoline yellow and aspartame (an artificial sweetener) were combined.

The study shows that when the nerve cells were exposed to MSG and brilliant blue or aspartame and quinoline yellow, the additives stopped the nerve cells from growing normally and interfered with proper signalling systems. In short, you really want to be avoiding them.

Although some additives are banned in foods for young children, they can still be found in ‘grown-up’ food: Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a controversial flavour enhancer, is found in certain pasta sauces, crisps, and processed cheeses.

When you’re out shopping, look at the labels of what you’re buying. What additives does your chosen food contain? With certain foods, you don’t even need to scan the labels. You’ll instinctively know if it contains all the things it shouldn’t.

As I’ve said before, the further a food is from its natural state, the worse it’ll be for you and your family. If something has a sell-by date that’s six months or even a year from today, doesn’t it make you wonder what the manufacturers must’ve put in it to get it to last that long?