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Quick Tips

Limit Your Child’s Intake of Food Additives

  • Identify what your child eats. Keep a food diary for a week, noting everything that is eaten – including at school. At the end of the week, you should have a good idea of your child’s exposure to food additives. Food additives are largely present in processed and packaged foods, candy, soda and other "junk" food, so if you limit those foods, you’ll cut down considerably.

  • Adopt the New Green Diet. Eating a balanced diet of fresh produce and whole grain foods will go a long way towards keeping additives out of your child’s system. Organic packaged and processed organic foods have little or no added synthetic colors or preservatives.

  • Chose products that are labeled "preservative-free." Be wary of labels that claim "no added preservatives." These products may nevertheless contain ingredients that were already preserved prior to inclusion in the final product. For example, almost all lard, used in baked goods, is treated with BHA or BHT.

  • Read Labels. Particularly keep an eye out for the following. Some of these cause allergy-like symptoms or are suspected carcinogens.

    •
      Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT).
      Propyl Gallate
      Sodium Nitrate/Nitrate
      Sulfites (Sulfur Dioxide, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium And Potassium Bisulfite, Sodium and Potassium Metabisulfite)
      Potassium Bromate
      FD&C Blue No. 1
      FD&C Blue No. 2
      FD&C Green No. 3
      FD&C Red No. 3 (Erythrosine)
      FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine)
      FD&C Yellow No. 6
      Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
      Acesulfame-K

    These additives have a long record of safety:

      Alginate
      Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
      Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
      Betacarotene
      Calcium Propionate
      Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate
      Carrageenan
      Casein
      Citric Acid
      Edta
      Erythorbic Acid
      Ferrous Gluconate
      Fumaric Acid
      Gelatin
      Glycerin (Glycerol)
      Gums: Arabic, Furcelleran, Ghatti, Guar, Karaya, Locust Bean, Xanthan
      Lactic Acid
      Lecithin
      Mono- And Diglycerides
      Phosphate Salts
      Phosphoric Acid
      Plant Sterol Esters
      Polysorbate 60, 65, 80
      Potassium Sorbate
      Propylene Glycol Alginate
      Sodium Ascorbate
      Sodium Benzoate
      Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (Cmc)
      Sodium Caseinate
      Sodium Citrate
      Sodium Propionate
      Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
      Sorbic Acid
      Sorbitan Monostearate
      Starch, Modified Starch
      Sucralose
      Thiamin Mononitrate
      Vanillin, Ethyl Vanillin
      Vegetable Oil Sterol Esters

  • If you have a question about any food ingredient, dietary supplement or cosmetic contact the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Nutrition, 888-SAFEFOOD.

  • Report Adverse Reactions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains an Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS) to track reactions to food and/or food additives. The FDA encourages physicians to report patient reactions to things like sulfites so that they can track and better understand sulfite-sensitivity. To file a complaint about any food ingredient, contact your local FDA district office (see federal government section of your local phone book) and send your report, in writing, to:

    •
      Adverse Reaction Monitoring System
      ARMS
      HFS-636
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration
      200 C St., S.W.
      Washington, DC 20204

    See also:
    Food Additives: Among Thousands, Which are Safe?
    Where to Find Organic Foods

    Other Resources
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Nutrition Consumer Factsheets


    Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Guide to Food Additives
    A Fresh Look at Food Preservatives, FDA Consumer, October 1993

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