Labelling

Governing bodies such as Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and standards such as Codex Alimentarius have made it compulsory to declare food additives on the label and have also set a certain limit for addition of food additives in a food item. On food labels, certain food additives appear as numbers. Food additives are given a particular ‘E’ number and class to give them a common recognition globally.

Some commonly added additives in sauces and chutneys and their impact on health are described here.

Preservatives

To delay the spoiling of food stuffs by microorganisms, anti-microbial substances are used which inhibit, delay, or prevent the growth and proliferation

These bring out the flavour of a particular food item or enhance its flavour. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and disodium 5’-guanylate are the permitted enhancers for chutneys and sauces.

These enhancers are not safe for babies below 12 weeks and hence must not be consumed by their lactating mothers. These must also be avoided by people with gout/uric acid excess.