What are additives?
Additives are ingredients used to benefit the quality, taste and shelf life of food and beverages. Additives may include emulsifiers, stabilisers, colours, preservatives, anti-oxidants, sweeteners, oils, modified starches, flavour enhancers or flavourings.
Some people are worried about the presence of additives in foods
Additives are ingredients that have been rigorously safety tested and are approved by regulatory bodies, such as the FSA in the UK and the FDA in the US, for use by the food industry. We use only these tested ingredients to deliver the benefits of quality, taste and shelf life of our products.
The majority of manufactured food and beverages enjoyed by consumers today could not be produced without the benefit of additives. We also remind anyone who's concerned that we try to minimise the use of additives where it is sensible and safe to do so.
In addition, we are reviewing the formulation of all our products to minimise the amount of additives we use as well as investigating formulations that are additive-free.
Do you highlight the use of additives on your product labels?
We always label our products to indicate the presence of additives. In the European Union these materials are often accompanied by an E number (E = EU approved) to signify that the additive used has been assessed and is approved safe for use within the levels designated by regulatory bodies. In the US, additives are added to the GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) list, following safety evaluations. Read more on our approach to labelling.