The inevitability and rational use of food additives
In modern life, food additives have become an indispensable part of our daily diet. Whether it is bread and milk on the breakfast table or various packaged foods, these contain different kinds of food additives. When we enjoy the seemingly simple bread and milk in the morning, we have actually ingested about 20 kinds of food additives. This situation is common in processed foods in our daily lives.
The ubiquity of food additives
Scholars have calculated that an average person may ingest nearly 100 kinds of food additives in a day. This may sound surprising, but the fact is that the complexity of the modern food industry and consumers' requirements for food convenience and shelf life make the use of food additives inevitable. If we try to avoid food additives completely and choose to cook our own food at home, even so, the condiments we use, such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc., also contain food additives. In order to ensure the stability of their quality and extend their shelf life, these condiments usually add some additives to preserve and maintain color.
Definition and function of food additives
As Liu Haimei, dean of the School of Food Engineering at Luzhong University in China, said, food additives refer to natural or synthetic substances added in appropriate amounts during food processing. Its main function is to improve the color, aroma, taste, and shape of food, and enhance its antiseptic and storage capabilities. The presence of these additives not only allows food to remain fresh and beautiful for a long time, but also greatly facilitates our daily lives.
Scientific and reasonable use is the key
For many people, mentioning food additives may have negative associations and concerns about their potential harm to health. However, Dr. Liao Hongbo of the Standardization Research Institute of the Beijing Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau pointed out that food additives are allowed to be used in moderation in food only after scientific experiments and rigorous demonstrations. It is unrealistic to completely ban or unrestrict the use of food additives. In China, there are currently about 2,000 food additives allowed for use, which is actually relatively small compared to other countries and regions.
Take flour whitening agents as an example. China used to allow their use, with a prescribed dosage of 60 mg/kg, but it is now completely banned. In the United States and Canada, the use of flour whitening agents is still legal, and the amount used is even as high as 150mg/kg. This shows that the use standards of food additives are formulated according to the actual conditions of each country, and it does not mean that all additives are harmful to health.
Food safety incidents and misunderstandings
In recent years, food safety incidents have emerged one after another, which has to some extent aggravated the public's panic about food additives. Dr. Liao Hongbo emphasized that many food safety problems are not caused by food additives used in compliance, but by some unscrupulous merchants who violate regulations and add excessive amounts or use non-compliant chemical additives in order to make huge profits. For example, the ingredients used in incidents such as "melamine" and "Sudan Red" are not food additives approved by the state, but illegal chemicals or industrial raw materials.
Correctly view food additives
Therefore, food additives are not a scourge. As long as they are used within a scientific and reasonable range, they are safe and an important means to ensure food quality and consumer health. We should avoid confusing food additives with harmful chemicals and maintain a rational and scientific attitude in daily life. Through scientific management and strict supervision, food additives can continue to serve the food industry, ensure food safety and deliciousness, and protect consumer health.
The ubiquity of food additives
Scholars have calculated that an average person may ingest nearly 100 kinds of food additives in a day. This may sound surprising, but the fact is that the complexity of the modern food industry and consumers' requirements for food convenience and shelf life make the use of food additives inevitable. If we try to avoid food additives completely and choose to cook our own food at home, even so, the condiments we use, such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc., also contain food additives. In order to ensure the stability of their quality and extend their shelf life, these condiments usually add some additives to preserve and maintain color.
Definition and function of food additives
As Liu Haimei, dean of the School of Food Engineering at Luzhong University in China, said, food additives refer to natural or synthetic substances added in appropriate amounts during food processing. Its main function is to improve the color, aroma, taste, and shape of food, and enhance its antiseptic and storage capabilities. The presence of these additives not only allows food to remain fresh and beautiful for a long time, but also greatly facilitates our daily lives.
Scientific and reasonable use is the key
For many people, mentioning food additives may have negative associations and concerns about their potential harm to health. However, Dr. Liao Hongbo of the Standardization Research Institute of the Beijing Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau pointed out that food additives are allowed to be used in moderation in food only after scientific experiments and rigorous demonstrations. It is unrealistic to completely ban or unrestrict the use of food additives. In China, there are currently about 2,000 food additives allowed for use, which is actually relatively small compared to other countries and regions.
Take flour whitening agents as an example. China used to allow their use, with a prescribed dosage of 60 mg/kg, but it is now completely banned. In the United States and Canada, the use of flour whitening agents is still legal, and the amount used is even as high as 150mg/kg. This shows that the use standards of food additives are formulated according to the actual conditions of each country, and it does not mean that all additives are harmful to health.
Food safety incidents and misunderstandings
In recent years, food safety incidents have emerged one after another, which has to some extent aggravated the public's panic about food additives. Dr. Liao Hongbo emphasized that many food safety problems are not caused by food additives used in compliance, but by some unscrupulous merchants who violate regulations and add excessive amounts or use non-compliant chemical additives in order to make huge profits. For example, the ingredients used in incidents such as "melamine" and "Sudan Red" are not food additives approved by the state, but illegal chemicals or industrial raw materials.
Correctly view food additives
Therefore, food additives are not a scourge. As long as they are used within a scientific and reasonable range, they are safe and an important means to ensure food quality and consumer health. We should avoid confusing food additives with harmful chemicals and maintain a rational and scientific attitude in daily life. Through scientific management and strict supervision, food additives can continue to serve the food industry, ensure food safety and deliciousness, and protect consumer health.
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