How long have food additives been around?

Food additives have been around almost as long as man himself. Food additives have been used to preserve food from one harvest to the next with better appearance and nutritional value for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used colours and flavourings to make food look and taste better, while ancient Romans utilised spices, salt and vegetable colouring to enhance their meals. All over the world, salting and smoking food has been practised to preserve food.

More recently, technology and the discovery of new, effective food additives has led to their widespread use. These include emulsifiers in margarine (to keep it in a solid block), baking soda in cake mixes and gelling agents in jams. The use of these additives has offered consumers a wide range of reasonably priced foodstuffs of a high and constant quality. In fact, without food additives, it would be impossible to produce low-calorie or low-fat products such as margarine.

Next: Where do food additives come from?