Food Additives

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*Additives can be natural or synthetic

-Natural food additives include beet juice, papain, salt, and citric acid

-Many other additives are synthetic chemicals added to food

-Over 3,000 are currently used in the United States

*Food Additives: 5 Main Functions

1. Maintain produce consistency

-Emulsifiers

-Stabilizers and thickeners

2. Improve or preserve the nutrient value

-Fortification and enrichment to improve the nutritional status in the U.S.

3. Maintain the wholesomeness and overall quality of foods

-Preservatives

4. Control the acidity and alkalinity and provide learning

5. Provide color and enhance flavor

*Food Additive Safety

-1958 Delaney Cause: no food additive can be used that is shown to cause cancer

-1985 Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS): FDA monitors complaints about food additives

-Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS): list of additives determined to be safe

*5 Chemicals That Are in (Almost) Everything You Eat video

*Are they safer?

*Are they more nutritious?

*Organic Foods-What are they?

*When referring to foods, "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products

-Practices designed to encourage soil and water conservation, reduce pollution

-Organic foods do use pesticides, but different from conventional foods

-Conventional insectides, herbicides are not used

-No use of antibiotics or growth hormones to prevent disease and spur growth

*Organic Foods Defined

*Categories of "organic" foods:

-100% organic: only organic ingredients

-Organic: 95% of ingredients are organic

-Made with organic ingredients: 70% or more of ingredients are organic

-Standards for organic production are regulated by the USDA

*NOTE: "all natural", "free-range", and "hormone-free" are not the same as organic

*Organic vs. Conventional Farming Practices

*Pesticides and the Food Supply

*Pesticides are used to help protect against crop losses, reduce the incidence of disease, and increase crop yields

-Wash & peel to completely reduce or at least reduce pesticide residue

*Growth Hormone

*Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a growth hormone sometimes given to cows

-Increases muscle mass; decreases fat (beef cattle)

-Chickens don't get growth hormones

*What Does "Organic" Mean, and Should You Buy Organic Foods video

*How Safe Are Pesticides, Really? video