Despite the current consumer push towards supposedly “all-natural” foods, anyone who looks into the subject knows that the modern food and beverage industry requires a wide variety of food additives and preservatives. Often, these additives get a very bad reputation, and for little to no reason. People think that “all-natural” foods are somehow a superior option when, most of the time, they’re objectively worse.
These are just a few ways that food additives make foods, beverages, and even pharmaceutical products fundamentally better.
Four Ways Food Additives and Preservatives Improve Food Products
- Shelf stability
Without food preservatives, the food on people’s shelves would be going bad much more quickly. Bread would mold within a couple of days, rather than a couple of weeks. Canned foods would dissolve into mush within a few months. Items in the fridge would all expire far more quickly.
In turn, that would lead to even more food waste – and we waste too much food already. Preservatives help people avoid that waste.
- Disease prevention
For most of human history, food-borne illnesses such as botulism have been a consistent threat to survival – until modern times. Food additives are extremely effective at preventing the spread of bacteria and molds which can hurt or even kill people. They further protect shelf-stable goods, as well as protecting fresh items such as produce.
- Global shipping
Combine items 1 & 2, and you get one of the true food revolutions of the modern era: global food shipments. Today, consumers can enjoy foods from every corner of the world, delivered to their local grocery store. From Philadelphia to Phnom Penh (and back again), food additives and preservatives allows people to enjoy a vastly greater variety of foods than ever before.
- Improved taste
Salt, of course, is the king of food additives – a flavor enhancer and preservative, in one. However, it’s far from the only one. Citric acid is added to a huge variety of foods to give them a little extra kick. Calcium chloride can work as a low-sodium salt alternative, with a very similar flavor. Sodium benzoate is excellent at enhancing the flavor of condiments like ketchup and soy sauce.
FBC Industries Is A Leader in Food Additives and Preservatives
We are trusted by companies around the world, thanks to our top-quality suppliers and scrupulous focus on purity. To test our products for your own uses, just request free samples!