Additives are not a new invention, they have been used in food products for centuries. The preservation of foods is an ancient necessity – salt and sodium nitrate, for instance, were used to preserve meat, acetic acid to pickle vegetables.

When you read the consumer information on food packages you will often find E-numbers. Many of these substances are harmless, some may represent a health risk for certain groups of individuals (e.g. allergic persons, asthmatics).

For a detailed list of E-numbers and information on the often complicated chemical expressions and what they really mean, please click on the link below. Use the link of the European Food Intolerance Databanks, to get a list of food additives:
www.ecc-kiel.de/EVZkiel/food-infos/enummern.html