Food ingredients

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Food ingredients

• Spotlight on food additives

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Ingredient List on the food label

• Lists all of the ingredients for a food by
  weight, from the most to the least.
• Is a source of information for certain nutrients.
• Is a source of information for people with food
  allergies.

Example
INGREDIENTS WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, HIGH MONOUNSATURATED CANOLA OIL, ALMOND PIECES, RAISINS, GOLDEN SYRUP, SALT, CRISP RICE (RICE FLOUR, SOY PROTEIN, SUGAR, MALT, SALT), SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOUR
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What are food additives?

• Any substances or chemicals added to food for
  specific purposes.
• The Health Canada definition
• A food additive is any chemical substance that is
  added to food during preparation or storage and
  either becomes a part of the food or affects its
  characteristics for the purpose of achieving a
  particular technical effect.

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In Canada food additives do not include

• food ingredients such as salt, sugar, starch
• vitamins, minerals, amino acids
• spices, seasonings, flavouring preparations (such
  as monosodium glutamate)
• agricultural chemicals
• veterinary drugs or
• food packaging materials.

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• Food additives are used to keep foods safer and
  to make them more appealing.
• There are over 2000 different additives in common
  use today.
• Additives added to foods must be listed on the
  food nutrition label (under ingredients).

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Types of food additives

• Anti-caking agents - stop ingredients from
  becoming lumpy.
• Antioxidants - prevent foods from oxidising, or
  going rancid.
• Artificial sweeteners - increase the sweetness.
• Emulsifiers - stop fats from clotting together.
• Food acids - maintain the right acid level.
• Colours - enhance or add colour.
• Humectants - keep foods moist.

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Regulation

• Food additives are regulated in Canada under the
  Food and Drug Regulations. All permitted food
  additives and their conditions of use are listed
  in the tables in Division 16 of the Regulations.
• The Bureau of Chemical Safety within Health
  Canada coordinates the assessment of food
  additive submissions.

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Are additives safe?

• Health Canada must approve all food chemicals
  before they can be added to food.
• Toxicological tests are done on laboratory
  animals to come up with a max. daily dose with
  no obervable effects.
• The allowable amount for human consumption is
  about 100 times less.

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Some examples

• TARTARIC ACID, POTASSIUM ACID TARTRATE, SODIUM
  POTASSIUM TARTRATE, SODIUM TARTRATE
• Antioxidant used in beverages, candy, ice cream,
  baked goods, yogurt, gelatin desserts, baking
  powder.
• Tartaric acid occurs naturally in grapes, other
  fruits, and coffee beans. It has an extremely
  tart, acidic taste, which is useful in some
  foods. Most of the tartaric acid we ingest is
  digested by bacteria in the intestines. The 20
  percent that is absorbed is rapidly excreted in
  the urine.

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• CALCIUM (or SODIUM) PROPIONATE
• Preservative used in bread, rolls, pies, cakes.
• Calcium propionate prevents mold growth on bread
  and rolls. The calcium is a beneficial mineral
  the propionate is safe. Sodium propionate is used
  in pies and cakes, because calcium alters the
  action of chemical leavening agents.

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• ALGINATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE
• Thickening agent and foam stabilizer used in ice
  cream, cheese, candy, yogurt, beer.
• Alginate, an apparently safe derivative
• of seaweed (kelp), maintains the desired
• texture in dairy products, canned frosting,
• and other factory-made foods. Propylene
• glycol alginate, a chemically-modified algin,
• thickens acidic foods (soda pop, salad
• dressing) and can stabilize the foam in beer.

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• SILICON DIOXIDE
• Artificial anticaking agent Many powdered foods
  like cake and pudding mixes as well as sugar and
  salt.
• POLYSORBATE 80
• Emulsifier ice cream most commonly since it
  makes ice cream smoother and easier to handle, as
  well as increasing its resistance to melting.

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• Want to know more about food additives in your
  food? Visit the Food Additives Dictionary
• http//www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/diction
  /index-eng.php
• If it is not in the dictionary, it is not a food
  additive.

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Effects on human health

• Some food additives have been banned, others are
  under suspicion but the evidence is not clear on
  those.
• It is up to you to assess the risks and make
  decisions

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Food additives off the market

• Cyclamate an artificial sweetener that was
  synthetically produced. It was banned in 1969 in
  the US but is still in use in many countries
  including Canada. It was
• associated with bladder cancer,
• and damage to testes. Now not
• thought to cause cancer directly,
• but to increase the potency of other carcinogens.

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• Ethylene glycol was used as a solvent for food
  colour and flavourings. It was banned in 1998
  because of evidence of kidney damage.

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• BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA)
• Antioxidant Cereals, chewing gum, potato chips,
  vegetable oil.
• Antioxidant
• BHA retards rancidity in fats, oils, and
  oil-containing foods. While some studies indicate
  it is safe, other studies demonstrate that it
  causes cancer in rats, mice, and hamsters. Those
  cancers are controversial because they occur in
  the forestomach, an organ that humans do not
  have. However, a chemical that causes cancer in
  at least one organ in three different species
  indicates that it might be carcinogenic in
  humans. That is why the U.S. Department of Health
  and Human Services considers BHA to be
  "reasonably anticipated to be a human
  carcinogen." Nevertheless, the Food and Drug
  Administration still permits BHA to be used in
  foods. This synthetic chemical can be replaced by
  safer chemicals (e.g., vitamin E), safer
  processes (e.g., packing foods under nitrogen
  instead of air), or can simply be left out (many
  brands of oily foods, such as potato chips, don't
  use any antioxidant).

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• SODIUM BENZOATE, BENZOIC ACID
• Preservative Fruit juice, carbonated drinks,
  pickles.
• Manufacturers have used sodium benzoate (and its
  close relative benzoic acid) for a century to
  prevent the growth of microorganisms in acidic
  foods. The substances occur naturally in many
  plants and animals. They appear to be safe for
  most people, though they cause hives, asthma, or
  other allergic reactions in sensitive
  individuals.
• Another problem occurs when sodium benzoate is
  used in beverages that also contain ascorbic acid
  (vitamin C). The two substances, in an acidic
  solution, can react together to form small
  amounts of benzene, a chemical that causes
  leukemia and other cancers. Though the amounts of
  benzene that form are small, leading to only a
  very small risk of cancer, there is no need for
  consumers to experience any risk. In the early
  1990s the FDA had urged companies not to use
  benzoate in products that also contain ascorbic
  acid, but in the 2000s companies were still using
  that combination. A lawsuit filed in 2006 by
  private attorneys ultimately forced Coca-Cola,
  PepsiCo, and other soft-drink makers in the U.S.
  to reformulate affected beverages, typically
  fruit-flavored products.

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Health Claims
Disease risk reduction claims Example A
healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may
reduce the risk of heart disease. (Naming the
food) is free of saturated and trans fats.
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Nutrition Claims

• Are regulated statements made when a food meets
  certain criteria.
• They are optional, and may be found only on some
  food products.

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Nutrition ClaimsWhen you want to decrease the
amount of certain nutrients, look for
Free none or hardly any of this nutrient an example is sodium free
Low a small amount an example is low fat
Reduced at least 25 less of the nutrient compared with a similar product an example is reduced in Calories
Light can be used on foods that are reduced in fat or reduced in Calories
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Nutrition Claims When you want to increase the
amount of certain nutrients, look for
Source contains a significant amount of the nutrient an example is source of fibre
High or good source contains a high amount of the nutrient an example is high in vitamin C
Very high or excellent source contains a very high amount of the nutrient an example is excellent source of calcium
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General Health Claims

• General health claims are generally developed
• Consumers should not solely rely on general
  health claims to make informed food choices.

by third party organizations by corporations