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Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives

Indirect additives make their way into food during processing, packaging, and handling. Indirect additives are usually found in small amounts. For example, polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is a plastic that protects food from oxygen and carbon dioxide, helping it to say fresh. Beverage companies use PET when bottling water, soda, juices, and other drinks. Microwave food trays are also made from PET. When food is packaged in PET containers, tiny traces of the

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Additive Basics

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substance make their way into the product. Figuring out whether such additives are safe to consume is a tough job. Scientific studies can often be incomplete. As a result, scientists at the FDA and elsewhere have to make an educated guess about which additives are safe. The agency regulates how food makers use additives and in what amount. It also determines how the chemicals should be identified on food labels. C olorings , P reservatives , and F lavorings The three main types of additives are colorings, preservatives, and flavorings. According to the FDA, color additives can include any “dye, pigment or substance, which when applied to a food . . . is capable of imparting color.” Artificial colors are the reason why Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, and snack foods like Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms, and, yes, Twinkies are so colorful. Food colorings can come from natural sources, including plant extracts . Others are made in the laboratory, usually from petroleum-based chemicals. These chemicals

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