Food Additives

Food additives are in most of the things we eat. Most People consume food additives every day in all the foods they eat. There are many additives used that people know about and many that the average person has no knowledge about. This paper will give you a greater understanding which food additives are common and what effect it has on your health.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a food additive is any substance added to food. Legally the term means, "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result -- directly or indirectly -- in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food,” but this meaning doesn’t include and additives recognized as safe ingredients (FDA).
Food additives are usually added in small quantities and are used to enhance the color, taste, smell, consistency, texture, packaging and/ or shelf life. Additives are not considered nutritional even if they have some nutritive value (Businessdictionary.com). There are many types of food additives which consist of flavorings, emulsifiers, thickeners, colorings preservatives, vitamins, etc. Food additives are used to make food look and taste better.
Salt and sugar are the most common of additive that have been used for many years to preserve and taste food. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Sodium chloride which is known as salt is used as a flavoring and a preservative. Salt is used in most processed foods, cured meats, soup, snack chips, crackers, and others. The level of sodium that is consumed by people every day is probably the single most harmful substance in the food supply. Many of the foods consumed have way over the daily amount of sodium intake. There are other additives that contribute additional sodium to our diets such as monosodium glutamate and sodium benzoate. A diet that is high in sodium could lead to many different diseases and illnesses. High sodium intake