Limit Your Child’s Intake of Food Additives

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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

Food additives
Colorants

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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