Additives, are they all bad to health?

Additives to some , all additives are bad.

In truth, many of them are not only nothazardous to our health;

They are essential to the preservation of our health.

Broadly speaking, additives can be classified according to function.

There are flavorings and flavor enhancers; coloring; nutritional supplements ( usually vitamins

and minerals added to flours and cereals to replace nutrients lost during milling and refining); antioxidants 9 to prevent rancidity);

preservatives ( to retard spoilage); emulsifiers, stabilizers and texturizers ( to keep creamy foods creamy).

Thickeners; humectants ( to keep foods moist); anticaking agents ( for free-flowing flours and salts).

Leaving agents; bleaches; dough conditioners; and sweeteners.

Of the nearly 3,000 ' chemicals' U.S processors intentionally add to food , 98 percent are nothing more than sugar, corn syrup, salt, pepper, citric acid ( found in citrus fruits), baking soda, mustard and vegetable colors.

Then there are the unintentional additives that make their way into our food supply on its

long journey from farm to dinner table.

These include residuals of drugs given to animals, of pesticides and herbicides, even of chemicals that migrate into food from plastic packaging and metal cookware.

The FDA is mandated by law to regulate the food industry and ensure the safety of our food supply.

Not always with complete success, as consumer watchdogs are quick to point out.

Anyone scanning a food label will be bewildered ( frightened, perhaps) by the number of additives.

It's impossible to cover them all, but we do discuss the most commonly used and controversial ones.