Additives are substances added to foods for a variety of reasons. Some additives keep foods fresher longer or improve their safety. Other additives boost or maintain a food’s nutritional value. Finally, some additives improve the taste, texture or appearance of foods.

Every food contains chemical compounds that help determine its color, flavor, texture and nutrient value. Additives are substances added to these foods to enhance the food’s natural qualities. Federal standards administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) help ensure that these additives are safe for people to consume.

There are two major categories of food additives:

• Direct additives. Intentionally added to the food for a specific purpose. They usually are listed on the ingredient label of a food. A direct additive may preserve freshness, improve nutritional quality, assist in processing or preparing food, or make food more appealing.
  
  
• Indirect additives. Become part of the food in trace amounts as a result of harvesting, production, processing, packaging, storage or other handling. These are typically present in minimal amounts.

Additives serve many different purposes. For example, additives keep peanut butter from separating, make ice cream smooth and add nutrition to breads and cereals. In some cases, additives may help make food taste more appealing or make it more nutritious. In other cases, they can help foods to remain fresh, to resist changes from temperature shifts, storage, oxidation and contact with microbes (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses).