Food additives
According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual, a food additive is defined as “any substance not normally consumed as a food by itself and not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result (directly or indirectly), in it or its by-products becoming a component of or otherwise affecting the characteristics of such foods.
The term does not include contaminants or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities.”
The Codex Alimentarius and food additives
Food additives have been a focus of work for the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) since its inception in 1963. The Codex Alimentarius now includes several texts related to food additives, the key one being the General standard for food additives (GSFA, CXS 192-1995), which is now accessible both through the online GSFA database and as a downloadable PDF version.
The GSFA now includes over 5000 maximum levels (MLs) for nearly 400 food additives or food additive groups. This is the primary reference for additives in foods that is used by the global food industry and governments.
Resources
Key facts
The Codex Alimentarius contains over 5000 maximum limits (MLs) for food additives, covering almost 400 different food additives or groups of food additives.
Food additives include common ingredients such as salt and yeast. The Codex Alimentarius contains a Standard for yeast and a Standard for food grade salt.
A food additive is a substance intentionally added to food to perform a specific function (such as preserving, colouring, or flavouring), whereas a contaminant is an unwanted substance that enters food unintentionally through the environment, processing, packaging, storage, or other external sources.