Preservatives don't make food bad

Preservatives really get bad press. Mention the word and it conjures up visions of hyperactive, obese children and five-legged cows for many consumers. The mass media regularly feature articles about how removing preservatives from their diet dramatically changed people's lives but rarely, if ever, are the dramatic and measurable improvements to world health that are directly attributable to preservatives featured.

Preservatives retard product spoilage caused by mould, bacteria, fungi or yeast. This contamination can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening botulism.

Without preservatives, food safety problems would get out of hand, to say nothing of the grocery bills. Bread would get mouldy, salad oil would go rancid, juices would ferment...

Consumers need to understand that manufacturers mostly add preservatives to prevent spoilage during the time it takes to transport foods over long distances to stores and then into kitchens. Rapid transport systems and ideal storage conditions do help to keep foods fresh and nutritionally stable. But breads, cooking oils and other foods, including the complex, high-quality convenience products consumers and food services have come to expect, usually need more help.

Preservatives may not be used to deceive consumers by changing the food to make it appear other than it is. The food additive regulations require the preservative to be of food grade and be prepared and handled as a food ingredient. Also, the quantity added to food must not exceed the amount needed to achieve the manufacturer's intended effect.

The current rage for 'natural products' is, in some ways, adding to the bad press preservatives receive. Tocopherol (vitamin E) has lovely connotations for the consumer but the fact is that it is not generally as effective in vegetable fats and oils as it is in animal fats.

Also, some herbs and herb extracts, such as rosemary and sage, can do the work of antioxidants, but they impart strong colour or flavours which the consumer may not like. And just because these are plant-derived doesn't necessarily mean they are always safe.

Some processed foods are actually better for consumers than the non-processed version - omega-3 milk and heat-treated tomato juice are good examples of this. They are also well-conserved, so consumers can have the sense of freshness for a longer time.

Some people are allergic to preservatives but others are allergic to prawns! There are no nation-wide programs to defame prawns so it is disappointing that preservatives are singled out and presented as being bad - especially as they actually keep food good!