Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste, appearance, or other qualities. 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 with wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the twentieth century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin.[ More]

Why do we need food Additives? In the distant past, we ate food that was raw or freshly cooked from ingredients that had been caught, grown or foraged. Slowly, people began to realise that by dividing labour, life would be easier for everyone. So someone in the village would set up as a baker or a butcher, offering to take some of the labour out of food preparation.[ More]