© Isabelle BRIVET
February 2007
Food additives
Natural or synthetic, they are incorporated into processed food to change their properties: texture, taste, shelf-life, colour… Around 200 additives are allowed, and are symbolised by the letter E followed by 3 numbers (i.e. E123, E330…)
Most sweets for children are essentially made of sugar with additives (colouring agents, flavour enhancers, texturers, sweeteners…)
=> Sweets only give pleasure, but not nutrients!
Likewise for crisps, which are full of additives to make them tasty, full of salt to stimulate your appetite: their effects on health are devastating.
Some “dairy” products must be looked at closely because some are only made with water, gelling agents, flavour enhancers and sugar.
