What is a Food Additive?

ACCORDING to the Codex Alimentarius (an international food code of the WHO and FAO), a food additive is:

“Any substance NOT normally consumed as a food by itself and NOT normally used as a typical ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food results in, or may be reasonably expected to result (directly or indirectly) in it or its by-products becoming a component of or otherwise affecting the characteristics of such.

The term does not include ‘contaminants’ or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities.” (“Organoleptic” means sight, taste, smell and texture as perceived by the senses.)

In other words, additives are non-food substances and chemicals added to our foods used by the food industry mainly for their benefit and not for the benefit of your health.