Food additive



Food additives are substances added to food to preserve it, or to improve its flavour and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, when preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, or using sulfur dioxide as is common in wine. However, with the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th century, many more additives have begun to be used, of both natural and artificial origin.

Numbering

To regulate these additives, and inform consumers, each additive is assigned a unique number. Initially these were the "E numbers" used in Europe for all approved additives. However, the numbering scheme has been adopted and extended by the Codex Alimentarius Committee to internationally identify all additives, regardless of whether they are approved for use.

E numbers are all written with an "E" in front, but other countries use only the number whether the additive is approved in Europe or not. For example, acetic acid is additive 260, so it is written as E260 on products sold in Europe. Additive 103, alkanet, is not approved for use in Europe and so does not have an E number, although it is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand.

See the list of food additives for a complete list of all of the numbers.