The Food AdditiveFood additives are those substances deliberately added to fo... Numbering Scheme was developed for use within the EU and enables the identification of food additives by code numbers. It is the scheme that generates the famed ‘E numbers’ that one sees in the ingredients declarations of food packages.
The European scheme is based on the International Numbering System for Food Additives devised by the Codex Alimentarius committee of the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
The Food AdditiveFood additives are those substances deliberately added to fo... Numbering Scheme provides a convenient means of classifying food additives as well as a kind of shorthand for quick identification – provided one either remembers the codes or has access to a code list. Unfortunately, in this respect, it is of small value to most consumers as they are unlikely to know what the codes stand for and, in many instances, if the name of an additive is used, their knowledge of it will likely be limited.
Websites such as this can of course help to clarify understanding.
For example…
The E number E481 is the code for the emulsifierA substance which allows an emulsion to stay in a stable sta...sodiumSodium is a chemical element and is the sixth most abundant ... stearoyl-2-lactylate. Few consumers will understand what food emulsifiers do let alone what sodiumSodium is a chemical element and is the sixth most abundant ... stearoyl-2-lactylate actually is and how it works as an emulsifierA substance which allows an emulsion to stay in a stable sta....
The Categories
The Food AdditiveFood additives are those substances deliberately added to fo... Numbering Scheme classifies food additives into different categories as shown in the following tables. Use the links to explore the function and uses of some of the selected food additives.
