Food Additives to Avoid - E-numbers you should stay away from

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin.


The additives that you are most likely to come across on food labels are antioxidants, colours, emulsifiers, stabilisers, gelling agents and thickeners, flavour enhancers, preservatives and sweeteners. In Europe food additives are labelled on food packaging by an E number or by their chemical name.

Under European legislation, additives must be explicitly authorised at European level before they can be used in foods.

For years now scientists have been publishing studies which warn us that many food additives (marked with E-numbers) can cause a syndrome of hyperactivity, allergies responses, headaches or metabolic disfunctions. Reactions of resposable institutions are either too slow or insufficient and food industry usually ignores those kind of studies.

Yet, public has right on every information and every warning. Informinjg the world a democratic principle 'right-to-know' is achieved, and with warning the public European principle of watchfulness 'better-safe-than-sorry' is supported.

Here is the list of some Food Additives with possible side-effects.

Name	E #	Usage	Facts you need to know
Allura Red AC	E129	Food coloring in snacks, sauces, preserves, soups, wine, cider, etc.	Avoid if you suffer from asthma, rhinitis (including hayfever), or urticaria (hives).
Amaranth	E123	Food coloring in wine, spirits, fish roe.	Banned in the U.S. Avoid if you suffer from asthma, rhinitis, urticaria or other allergies.
Aspartame	E951	Sweetener in snacks, sweets, alcohol, desserts, ~diet" foods	May affect people with PKU (phenylketonuria). Recent reports show possibility of headaches, blindness, and seizures with long-term high doses of aspartame.
Benzoic acid	E210	Preservative in many foods, including drinks, low sugar products, cereals, meat products.	Can temporarily inhibit the function of digestive enzymes. May deplete glycine levels. Avoid ifyou suffer from asthma, rhinitis, urticaria or other allergies.
Brilliant Black BN	E151	In drinks, sauces, snacks, wines, cheese, etc.	Avoid if you suffer from asthma, rhinitis, urticaria, or other allergies.
Butylated Hydroxy-anisole	E320	Preservative, particularly in fat-containing foods, confectionery, meats.	The International Agency for Research on Cancer says BHA is possibly carcinogenic to humans. BHA also interacts with nitrites to form chemicals known to cause changes in the DNA of cells.
Calcium benzoate	E213	Preservative in many foods, including drinks, low-sugar products, cereals, meat products.	Can temporarily inhibit function of digestive enzymes and may deplete levels ofthe amino acid glycine. Should be avoided by those with hay fever, hives, and asthma.
Calcium sulphite	E226	Preservative in a vast array of foods-from burgers to biscuits, from frozen mushrooms to horseradish. Used to make old produce look fresh.	In the U.S., sulphites are banned from many foods, including meat. They can cause bronchial problems, flushing, low blood pressure, tingling, and anaphylactic shock. The International Labour Organization says avoid them ifyou suffer from bronchial asthma, cardiovascular or respiratory problems and emphysema.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)	E621	Flavor enhancer.	Has been known to cause pressure on the head, seizures, chest pains, headache, nausea, burning sensations, and tightness of face. Many baby food producers have stopped adding MSG to their products.
Ponceau 4R, Conchineal Red A	E124	Food coloring.	People who suffer from asthma, rhinitis or urticaria may find their symptoms become worse following consumption of foods containing this coloring.
Potassium benozoate	E212	See calcium benzoate.	See calcium benzoate.
Potassium nitrate	E249	Preservative in cured meats and canned meat products.	It can lower the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood; it may combine with other substances to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic; and it may have an atrophying effect on the adrenal gland.
Propyl p-hydroxybenozoate, propylparaben, and paraben	F216	Preservative in cereals, snacks, pate, meat products, confectionery.	Parabens have been identified as the cause of chronic dermatitis in numerous instances.
Saccharin & its Na, K and Ca salts	E954	Sweetener in diet, and no-sugar products.	The International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that saccharin is possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Sodium metabisulphite		Preservative and antioxidant.	May provoke life-threatening asthma.
Sodium sulphite	E221	Preservative used in wine-making and other processed foods.	Sulphites have been associated with triggering asthma attacks. Most asthmatics are sensitive to sulphites in food.
Stannous chloride (tin)	E512	Antioxidant and color-retention agent in canned and bottled foods, fruit juices.	Acute poisoning has been reported from ingestion of fruit juices containing concentrations of tin greater than 250 mg per liter.
Sulphur dioxide	E220	Preservative.	Sulphur dioxide reacts with a wide range of substances found in food, including various essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes and essential fatty acids. Adverse reactions: bronchial problems particularly in those prone to asthma, hypotension (low blood pressure), flushing tingling sensations or anaphylactic shock. International Labour Organization says to avoid E220 if you suffer from conjunctivitis, bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma, or cardiovascular disease.
Sunset Yellow FCF, Orange Yellow S	E110	Food coloring.	Some animal studies have indicated growth retardation and severe weight loss. People with asthma, rhinitis, or urticaria should avoid this product.
Tartrazine	E102	Yellow food coloring.	May cause allergic reactions and asthmatic attacks and has been implicated in bouts of hyperactivity disorder in children. Those who suffer from asthma, rhinitis and urticaria may find symptoms worsen after consumption.

So chemicals are purposely added to food to change its color, preserve it, prevent rancidity, keep fats emulsified, and foods stable. Most of the chemicals are synthetic compounds, some with known negative health effects. But more importantly, we don't really know what the long-term consequences of consuming such large amounts of additives are. It is therefore best to avoid all additives, with a few notable exceptions.

Since foods without preservatives are more likely to spoil, it's important to buy fresh produce and consume it relatively quickly. However, there are some additives you don't need to avoid:

Colors	E101 E160	vitamin B2 carotene, vitamin A
Antioxidants	E300-304 E306-309	vitamin C, tocopherols like vitamin E
Emulsifiers	E322	lecithin
Stabilizers	E375 E440	niacin pectin

Tables borrowed from: http://altmedangel.com/additive.htm