Color & Texture Additive Fact Sheet

ADDITIVE	EXAMPLES	WHAT IS IT?	WHERE IS IT FOUND?	WHY IS IT (UN)HEALTHY?
Artificial Colors	Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1	Artificial colors are lab chemicals made from petroleum that dye foods into certain colors.¹	Food dyes are mostly found in candies, sodas, and snack foods, though they can also appear in sausages and baked goods.²	Many food dyes have been linked to cancer in rat studies, and some have the possibility of containing small amounts of harmful carcinogens.³ Also, dyes Blue 1 and 2 are suspected to affect the symptoms and severity of ADHD in children⁴
Emulsifiers and Gums	Carrageenan, soy lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum	Emulsifiers are substances that help blend together two ingredients that don’t typically mix, like oil and water.⁵ Gums, some of which are also emulsifiers, make a food thicker.	Emulsifiers and gums are found in many processed foods from peanut butter to ice cream to mayonnaise.	Some studies have shown a number of emulsifiers to speed the growth of tumors.⁶ Other studies indicate that emulsifiers and gums may damage the gut and microbiome health.⁷
Flour Treatments	Bleached, enriched, fortified, pre-sifted flour	Flour can be modified with certain treatments to achieve a different color or texture.	Many breads and pastas will be treated in some way, though organic and whole grain breads will probably have less treatment.	Enriched flours provide helpful B vitamins, while certain types of bleached flours can remove Vitamin E. Fortified flour can also add healthy B vitamins, while pre-sifted flour just makes baked good products more airy.⁸
Propellants	Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, butane, isobutane, propane, octafluorocyclobutane	Propellants are chemicals sealed under pressure in an aerosol food container which help expel or spray the food from its container.⁹	Propellants come in aerosol food containers, from whip cream to most cooking sprays.	While some argue that propellants can pose health threats in high concentrations, the levels in which they appear in aerosol food cans is not enough cause to worry.¹⁰
Raising Agents	Baking powder, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)	Raising agents help dough capture air to become soft, risen bread.	Raising agents are found in any risen bread or pastries.	At very high doses on its own, sodium bicarbonate can be poisonous, but regular bread eaters have nothing to worry about.¹¹