Additives in food: What is worrying and what is important?

What are food additives?

Food additives are used for technological reasons, for example to preserve food, maintain its color or consistency or achieve certain properties. These include, among others, preservatives, antioxidants, colors, emulsifiers, sweeteners and thickeners.

In the European Union, an additive may generally only be used once it has been approved. To this end, the technological necessity and health safety of the intended use quantities are assessed, among other things. An acceptable daily intake (ADI) is set for many substances. It describes the amount that, based on current knowledge, is considered harmless to health when consumed daily over a lifetime.

Are additives fundamentally harmful?

No. An E number initially only means that a substance is identified as a food additive. It is not a symbol of danger. Many additives have been used for a long time and are rated as safe in the approved uses and quantities. Other substances are under special observation or their approval and conditions of use have been adjusted based on new findings.

The decisive factors are the specific substance, the amount consumed, the frequency of consumption and the individual sensitivity. For example, individuals may be sensitive to certain dyes or preservatives. However, this does not mean that all additives cause allergies or should generally be avoided.

What about diphosphates and phosphates?

Phosphates are used, among other things, as acid regulators, melting salts or stabilizers. They also occur naturally in foods. In people with impaired kidney function, high phosphate intake may be particularly relevant because excretion may be impaired.

For healthy people, studies on a direct connection between ingested food phosphates and cardiovascular diseases are not clear. In its reassessment of phosphate additives, the EFSA concluded that the available data is insufficient to establish a causal link between phosphate intake and cardiovascular disease. It would therefore be too general to present diphosphates as a proven cause of cardiovascular diseases.

Dyes and E numbers: Example E123

Not all azo dyes are to be evaluated equally. There are special labeling regulations in the EU for certain dyes: Foods that contain the dyes E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 or E129 must bear the information that they can impair the activity and attention of children.

E123 (amaranth) is only approved in the EU for certain applications and under specified maximum quantities. The EFSA re-evaluated the substance in 2010 and, based on the data available at the time, concluded that it was not genotoxic and not carcinogenic; At the same time, an acceptable daily intake was set. In the USA, E123 is not approved as a food coloring. However, differences in regulation do not automatically prove that a substance is dangerous in one country and safe in another.

Mixtures and the so-called cocktail effect

In everyday life, people absorb different substances at the same time through different foods. Combined exposure is therefore a legitimate topic of food safety research. EFSA develops and uses methods to assess possible joint or cumulative effects of substances.

However, it does not follow that every combination of approved additives poses a health risk or that their amounts automatically add up to a dangerous dose. Whether substances work together stronger, weaker or independently depends, among other things, on their mechanisms of action and actual absorption. The general claim that the mixture of many additives is dangerous simply because interactions are unknown is not scientifically justified.

Don't glutamate and yeast extract have to be labeled?

Glutamate is a flavor enhancer that can appear in ingredient lists as an additive, for example under the name monosodium glutamate or E621. Glutamate also occurs naturally in foods, such as tomatoes, aged cheese and mushrooms. Yeast extract is an ingredient and not a synonym for added monosodium glutamate. It contains naturally free amino acids, including glutamate, which are responsible for the savory taste.

According to EU labeling regulations, additives must be indicated in the list of ingredients with their functional class and their specific name or E number. Ingredients such as yeast extract must also be listed as an ingredient. The labeling is therefore not fundamentally a deception, even if not every naturally contained compound is listed individually.

How can you assess additives in everyday life?

A diet that is as varied as possible, with mostly low-processed foods, is a sensible guide. This does not mean that every product with additives needs to be avoided. For example, frozen vegetables, canned legumes or fortified foods can be practical parts of a balanced diet.

These principles help when shopping:

• Compare ingredient lists when choosing between similar products.

• Pay particular attention to the overall nutritional value and frequency of consumption - not just the number of E numbers.

• If you are sensitive to a particular additive, check the label specifically and discuss any recurring symptoms with a doctor if necessary.

• A long list of ingredients is not a reliable measure of the health quality of a food. Even a product without additives can contain a lot of sugar, salt or saturated fatty acids.

Supplement websites and apps like Yuka

Databases like Additives-online.de or Food detective can help you look up individual substances. It is important to compare the information with the assessments of official authorities such as EFSA or BfR.

The app Yuka allows you to scan barcodes and retrieve information about the composition of food. According to the company, Yuka's food rating is based 60 percent on nutritional quality, 30 percent on additives and 10 percent on the organic criterion. The app can provide guidance, but is not an official risk assessment. Your overall score is a private evaluation method and does not replace review of the ingredient list, portion size, and overall dietary pattern.

Therefore, use such apps as a reference aid and not as a rigid traffic light that generally classifies a food as healthy or unhealthy.

Conclusion: Choose informedly instead of being afraid of E-numbers

It makes sense not to make heavily processed products the basis of your diet and to choose predominantly nutrient-rich foods. Nevertheless, not every additive is questionable and not every E number is a warning signal. The health assessment must take into account the individual substance and the amount consumed.

The simple rule of thumb is not “the fewer additives, the healthier”, but rather: pay attention to the overall quality of your diet, find out about specific substances from reliable sources and don’t let a long list of ingredients or an app rating unnecessarily unsettle you.