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What are preservatives?

A preservative is a substance added to a food to retard spoilage by preventing the growth of organisms such as molds and bacteria. Preservatives also help foods maintain an appetizing color, flavor, and texture longer than they normally could on a shelf or even in a refrigerator.

Most preservatives have ominous-sounding chemical names such as tocopherols and ascorbic acid. These two common preserving agents are also known as vitamin E and C, respectively. Another preservative, sodium propionate, occurs naturally in Swiss cheese and other foods.

Why are preservatives important to nutrition?

Preservatives prevent unnecessary waste of food. Perhaps more important, they prevent food poisoning from organisms such as salmonella and Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism. Despite their benefits, preservatives are widely perceived as unnatural and therefore unhealthful. Many people lump food additives together with pesticides and industrial pollutants, seeing them all as byproducts of an industrialized society that puts profits before the health of consumers. In fact, however, preservatives are nothing new. People were using brine, alcohol, and drying techniques to preserve meats and vegetables long before food was mass produced.

If preservatives were not used, people in all but the most temperate geographical regions would have to follow severely restricted diets for much of the year, even in years with good crop yields. Widespread crop failures would have disastrous results.

How much preservatives do I need?

Most foods are processed with the lowest amount of preservatives possible to remain

wholesome for a specified period of time. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of certain preservatives permissible in foods. For example, BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), which prevent fats from becoming rancid, can make up no more than 0.02 percent of the fat content of a food. Preservatives are not needed above the levels in processed foods.

What happens if I don't get enough preservatives?
Food that is entirely free of preservatives can easily be contaminated by disease-causing organisms. Therefore, if inadequate preservatives are used, there is an increased risk of contracting food poisoning.

What happens if I get too much preservatives?
Practically anything, even essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, can be harmful if consumed to excess. Preservatives — including those that occur naturally, such as salt, sugar, vitamin C, and vitamin E — are no exceptions. It would be next to impossible, however, to overdose on any preservative from eating a food in which it is used, since manufacturers add preservatives in such small amounts.

Should I take preservatives?
Purveyors of so-called health foods often claim that vitamins with preservative properties (vitamins C and E in particular) can slow the normal aging process. No scientific data supports this assertion, but plenty of evidence shows that an overdose of vitamin supplements can be harmful. Too much vitamin C, for example, can lead to diarrhea, urinary tract problems, and destruction of blood cells. The effects of vitamin E overdose are less clear, but they may include impaired sexual functioning and increased bleeding, especially if low-dose aspirin or other clot-inhibiting drugs are used.

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