FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET
Safe food additives
This Factsheet is to assist food manufacturers to choose safe food additives they CAN use, rather than just those to avoid. It is encouraging that such questions are now being asked by responsible manufacturers.
Of about 350 food additives approved for use under the Australian Food Standards Code, which mirrors international standards, only about 50 are known to cause problems according to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital research. You can see some of the science in this factsheet. The majority of food additives, while they may or may not be necessary, are not known to be harmful. This majority includes anti-caking agents, bleaches, emulsifiers, mineral salts, propellants, food acids, sweeteners, thickening agents, vegetable gums and vitamins.
The good news is that there are alternative safe additives that can be used to substitute for nearly all the harmful additives without loss of technological function.
There are new additives (in italics) emerging all the time. No additives are tested for health, behaviour and learning effects by FSANZ, so it may take some time for the Food Intolerance Network to encounter, identify and report new problems. Always check for the latest.
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FOOD ADDITIVE ALTERNATIVES |
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COLOURS |
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AVOID |
ALTERNATIVES |
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Natural colour Artificial colours |
Allura red AC 129 Amaranth 123 Annatto natural colour 160b Azorubine122 Brilliant Black BN 151 Brilliant Blue FCF133 Brown HT 155 Carbon black 153 (withdrawn in USA) Erythrosine 127 Fast green 143 Fast green FCF 143 Food green S 142 Indigotine 132 Ponceau 4R 124 Quinolene yellow 104 Sunset yellow FCF 110 Tartrazine 102 |
USED IN a wide range of sweet and savoury foods, drinks, confectionery, medicines, US breakfast cereals. Rarely used in Europe. SAFE ALTERNATIVES Betacarotene yellow 160a, Caramel brown 150a (b,d may affect some people), Riboflavin yellow 101, Calcium carbonate white 170, Titanium dioxide white 171, Iron oxides yellow, red black 172, Saffron, crocetin or crocin 164.Plant-based natural colours may be moderate in salicylates: Beet red 162, Anthocyanins red, blue, violet 163, Curcurmin (turmeric) yellow 100, Chlorophyll green 140, Copper chlorophyll green 141, Cochineal red 120 (some allergic reactions). UNTESTED Alkanet or alkannin pink 103 not tested. Paprika oleoresins (capsanthin) 160c and Lycopene 160d not tested. Effects of Beta-apo-8’ carotenal 160e, E-apo-8’ carotenic acid 160f not known, nor a range of xanthins (Flavoxanthin 161a, Lutein 161b, Kryptoxanthin 161c, Rubixanthin 161d, Violoxanthin 161e, Rhodoxanthin 161f). SEE NOTE ON NEW COLOURS BELOW |
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PRESERVATIVES |
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AVOID |
ALTERNATIVES |
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Sorbates |
Calcium sorbate 203 Potassium sorbate 202 Sodium sorbate 201 Sorbic acid 200 |
USED IN processed fruit and vegetable products, drinks, wine. SAFE ALTERNATIVES to many preservatives include refrigeration, freezing, ascorbates 300-304. |
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Benzoates |
Benzoic acid 210 Calcium benzoate 213 Potassium benzoate 212 Sodium benzoate 211 |
USED IN most soft drinks, diet drinks, cordials, juice drinks. SAFE ALTERNATIVES How is it that 7UP, some Schweppes products and non-diet Coca-Cola don't need this preservative? Ascorbates 300-304 can be used. |
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Sulphites (sulfites) |
Calcium hydrogen sulphite 227* Calcium sulphite 226* Potassium bisulphite 228 Potassium metabisulphite 224 Potassium sulphite 225 Sodium bisulphite 222 Sodium metabisulphite 223 Sodium sulphite 221 Sulphur dioxide 220 |
USED IN wine, beer, bread, processed meat like sausages, seafood like prawns, dried fruit, prepared salads, fruit salads, fruit and vegetable products, like drinks. SAFE ALTERNATIVES Include ascorbates 300-304 in some applications. Calcium sulphate 516 and ascorbic acid 300 are safe alternatives to sodium metabisulphite used as a flour improver. For sausages, freezing is a safe alternative. |
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Nitrates & nitrites |
Potassium nitrate 252 Potassium nitrite 249 Sodium nitrate 251 Sodium nitrite 250 |
USED IN processed meats like ham, salami, devon. SAFE ALTERNATIVES Salt. |
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Propionates |
Calcium propionate 282 Potassium propionate 283 Propionic acid 280 Sodium propionate 281 |
USED IN most bread in Australia and USA. Recently permitted in cheese, fruit and vegetable products. Very rare in Europe. Also added as fermented whey powder. SAFE ALTERNATIVES In bread, a safe alternative is better bakery hygiene, such as wiping surfaces and machinery with vinegar, or cooling loaves before placing in plastic bags. Ascorbates 300-304 can be used in some other applications. Ethanol is a safe alternative |
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Antioxidants |
Butylated hydoxyanisole (BHA) 320 Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) 321 Dodecyl gallate 312 Erythorbic acid 317 Octyl gallate 311 Propyl gallate 310 tert-Butylhydroquinone 319 |
USED IN oils and margarines to prevent rancidity, chips, fried snack foods, fast foods. Not necessarily listed on labels where vegetable oil is a component, due to the 5% labelling loophole. SAFE ALTERNATIVES Ascorbates 300-304, Tocopherols 306-309. |
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FLAVOUR ENHANCERS AND ADDED FLAVOURS |
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AVOID |
ALTERNATIVES |
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Glutamates |
Calcium dihydrogen diLglutamate 623 Disodium guanylate 627 Disodium inosinate 631 L-Glutamic acid 620 Magnesium di-L-glutamate 625 Monoammonium L-glutamate 624 Monopotassium glutamate 622 Monosodium glutamate (MSG) 621 Sodium 5' ribonucleotide 635 |
USED IN tasty foods like flavoured noodles, snack foods, chips, crackers, sauces and fast foods. Glutamates are in hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP), 'plant protein', yeast extract, caseinate, broth, stock and 'natural flavourings'. 635 is now even to be found in butter! 129 ways that glutamates are added to fool consumers SAFE ALTERNATIVES salt. Glutamates were introduced into Western food after WWII and is now used at levels far higher than ever used in the East. Do we need hyper-tasty food? |
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Added flavours |
Many. |
USED IN many foods without regulation. Can be vehicles for artificial flavours and preservatives. SAFE ALTERNATIVES some natural flavours including vanilla. |
from Clarke, L and others, Dietitians Association of Australia review paper: 'The dietary management of allergy and food intolerance in adults and children', Aust J Nutr & Diet (1996) 53:3; Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit, 'The Simplified Elimination Diet', available from dietitians; Dengate, S 'Fed Up', Random House, 1998; and Swain A and others, 'Friendly Food', Murdoch Books, 1991 *Not permitted in Australia
September 2008: New xanthophylls colour additives
161a flavoxanthin
161b lutein
161c kryptoxanthin
161d rubixanthin
161e violoxanthin
161f rhodoxanthin
161g canthaxanthin
161j astaxanthin
161I citranaxanthin
Yellow, orange and red colours called carotenoids occur in nature in colourful fruits and vegetables as well as leafy greens where they are covered by chlorophyll. Carotenoids are also responsible for the colour of salmon flesh, lobster shells or the plumage of birds like flamingos. These colours have been used for years in poultry and farmed fish feed and are now appearing more frequently as ‘natural’ food additives. When used commercially these colours are usually synthetically or biotechnically produced, e.g. extracted from algae. In 2002, the European Commission realised that no risk assessment had ever been carried out for carotenoids other than canthaxanthin, which has been found to cause retinal damage when used in large doses in tanning tablets for humans. Safety testing is currently being carried out, but – as usual – it does not include testing on children’s health, behaviour or learning. These colours are too new for us to know whether they will cause dose-related food intolerance reactions. When astaxanthin 161j red colour used in farmed fish was tested on 35 healthy adults, there were small but significant increases in eosinophils (white blood cell associated with allergic reactions, and involved in eosinophilic oesophagitis, a new type of heartburn): http://www.iss.it/binary/saan/cont/astaxanthin.1135154702.pdf. We have received two reports of possible reactions to strongly coloured commercial eggs compared to natural eggs by extremely sensitive failsafers with a high egg intake. For colours in eggs see http://www.iceland.co.uk/.
While we expect these additives will be safer than the artificial colours they replace, we recommend caution and welcome feedback.
If you have further questions, please contact Dr Howard Dengate, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +61 2 6654 7500
See also an Introduction to food intolerance
The information given is not intended as medical or commercial advice. Always consult with your doctor for underlying illness. Before beginning dietary investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food intolerance. You can see our list of experienced and supportive dietitians http://fedup.com.au/information/support/dietitians
© Sue Dengate update January 2016
