Food additives are chemicals added to food with different purposes: improve flavor, color or consistency, preserving freshness, making food more attractive and stable during conservation. We find them mainly in foods processed such as industrial bread, snacks, carbonated drinks, candies and baked goods.
However, not all additives are equally dangerous: many have been studied for a long time and in the end considered safe. Others, however, have health risks, such as carcinogenic, allergenic or respiratory effects, and for this reason the European and national legislation establishes which substances can be used, in which quantities and in which foods.
Among the most controversial cases there are two additives prohibited in Europe but still allowed in the United States, and a chemical contaminant that can be found in the food involuntaryly. This example clearly shows the differences between the European and American model: the European Union, as well as the United Kingdom, adopts a precautionary approach, authorizing an additive only if its safety is demonstrated. In the United States, however, a substance remains legal until it is proven that it hurts.
This difference in approach explains why some additives prohibited in Europe continue to appear on the shelves of American supermarkets. Among the best -known cases there are three substances present in baking and candy products: potassium bromate, azodicarbonamide and hydrocarbons of mineral oils (Moah and Mosh).
Bromate of potassium
Used in commercial bakery to make the dough more white and soft, potassium bromate has been prohibited in Europe and in the United Kingdom for many years, after scientific studies have connected it to carcinogenic effects.
In the United States, however, potassium bromate remains allowed within limits established by the FDA, even if several producers have voluntarily reduced or eliminated its use. California is the only state to have approved a ban, which will come into force in 2027.
Azodicarbonamide
Azodicarbonamide is used as a bleaching agent of flour and improving the consistency of industrial bread. The EU and the United Kingdom have banned it because scientific studies have highlighted that it can form potentially carcinogenic chemical by -products during cooking and that the inhalation of dust can cause asthma and respiratory irritation, especially for workers in the food sector.
In the United States, however, use is still allowed with restrictions. Some chains, such as Subway, have voluntarily chosen to eliminate it from their products after the controversies broke out in 2014.
Mineral oil hydrocarbons (Moah and Mosh)
Mineral oil hydrocarbons are chemical compounds derived from oil that can contaminate food through packaging, lubricants for machinery, technological adjuvants or during production processes.
In Europe, Moah (aromatic hydrocarbons) are potentially considered genotoxic and carcinogenic. Since 2022, the EU PAFF Committee has set maximum quantification limits (LOQ) for Moah in food, which vary according to the fat content of food (from 0.5 to 2 mg/kg). These limits have immediate effect, but they are not legally binding, and it is up to the individual Member States to decide whether to apply them. Despite this, however, when Moah’s presence is confirmed by official checks, he automatically determines the withdrawal and/or recall from the product market on the basis of article 14 of Regulation (EC) no. 178/2002.
The Mosh (saturated hydrocarbons) are still under evaluation for long -term effects and are not subject to specific limits.
In the United States, there are no limits or official guidelines for Moah and Mosh, which means that American consumers can be exposed to these compounds without any direct regulatory control. In this sense, European regulation, although not yet binding, offers greater protection compared to the US model.
Don’t you want to lose our news?
You may also be interested in:
