Nutritional Supplements

Nutritional supplements are a major type of additive. Breakfast cereals, which is often make extensive nutritional claims, rely heavily on such additives.

Many of the additive used are vitamins (such as vitamin C) and are intended to make the product a better source of nutrition.

Vitamins and minerals are added to many common foods such as milk, flour, cereal, and margarine to make up for elements likely to be lacking in a person’s diet, replace those lost in processing or improve shelf life.

Other uses include moisture control, thickening, and processing aids.

To regulate all these additives, and to help consumers sort through the complex and confusing terminology, each additive is assigned a unique number.

This codification (also called E numbers in Europe) is recognized internationally and is managed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Codex Alimentarius Commission was created by Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization in 1963.

The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally adopted food standards presented in a uniform manner.

These food standards aim at protecting consumer’s health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.

Its mission is to develop food standards and guidelines for identification worldwide. For example. Aspartame a popular artificial sweetener, is coded E951, while monosodium glutamate (MSG) is coded E621.

Estimates are that 2,000 to 20,000 agents are added to the food that we consume. These include preservatives, stabilizers, conditioners, thickeners, colorings, flavorings, sweeteners and antioxidants.
Nutritional Supplements