What is a food additive?
A food additive is any chemical substance that is added to food during preparation or storage and either becomes a part of the food or affects its characteristics for the purpose of achieving a particular technical effect.
Substances that are used in food to maintain its nutritive quality, enhance its keeping quality, make it attractive or to aid in its processing, packaging or storage are all considered to be food additives. However, some substances that aid in the processing of food, under certain conditions, are considered to be food processing aids, not food additives. Further information in this regard is available in the "Policy for Differentiating Food Additives and Processing Aids".
Examples of food additives include colouring agents that give foods an appetizing appearance, anticaking agents that keep powders such as salt free-running, preservatives that prevent or delay undesirable spoilage in food, and certain sweeteners that are used to sweeten foods without appreciably adding to the caloric value of the foods.
Under the Food and Drug Regulations, food additives do not include:
food ingredients such as salt, sugar, starch;
vitamins, minerals, amino acidsFootnote 1;
spices, seasonings, flavouring preparations;
agricultural chemicals;
veterinary drugs; or
food packaging materials.