Safety of food additives is a highly controversial topic as food additives are said to be extremely harmful, causing cancer and should be avoided. First, let’s reveal what exactly is food additives. Additives are added to foods to prolong shelf and storage life and to improve the flavour, colour, and texture of processed foods. For example, flavourings restore taste losses or can enhance the flavour or aroma of food while emulsifiers ensure that oil and water in foods do not separate.
食品添加剂的安全性一直以来是一个备受争议的话题。这是因为食品添加剂被认为极其有害，可导致癌症，因此应该避免食用。首先，我们应该知道什么是食品添加剂。添加剂是被添加到食品中以延长食品的储存寿命，并改善加工食品的风味、颜色和口感。例如，调味剂可以恢复食物的味道或可以增强食物的风味或香气，而乳化剂可以确保食物中的油和水分不会分离。
Over the years, the safety of many food additives, from food dyes to flavour enhancers, has come into question. A scare over a food additive may linger in our minds long after researchers find that there’s actually no cause for alarm.
多年来，许多食品添加剂，从食品染料到增味剂的安全性已受到质疑。虽然研究人员认为食品添加剂可安全食用，但是我们还是会对食品添加剂的使用心存恐慌。
Here are some highly controversial food additives that usually made up the food we consume.
以下是一些我们经常食用，且备受争议的食品添加剂。
- Monosodium Glutamate(MSG) / 谷氨酸一钠（MSG）
MSG is often added as flavour enhancer. It looks like salt or sugar crystal. Glutamate is an amino acid – the building block of protein – that is found in many proteins that are commonly eaten. Some scientists said that glutamate is umami, which is said to be the fifth flavour that human palate can taste, after salty, bitter, sweet and sour.
MSG或味精常用来作为增味添加剂。它看起来像盐或糖晶体。谷氨酸是一种氨基酸（蛋白质的组成部分，存在于许多通常被吃掉的蛋白质中）。一些科学家认为谷氨酸是鲜味的，据说是继咸味、苦味、甜味和酸味后人类口味可品尝的第五种味道。
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that’s “generally recognized as safe,” but its use remains controversial. It often been linked to “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” which its symptoms include numbness, headache, nausea and drowsiness. Most studies fail to establish a relationship between MSG intake and any physiological symptoms. However, MSG can affect blood pressure. Studies show that MSG intake may have independent blood pressure-increasing effects, especially among women and those taking hypertension medications at baseline and follow-up.
美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）将味精列为“通常被认为是安全的”食品成分，但其使用仍存在争议。它经常与“中餐馆综合症”扯上关系，其症状包括麻木，头痛，恶心和嗜睡。大多数研究未能证明MSG摄取量与任何生理症状之间的关系。然而，味精会影响血压。研究显示，MSG的摄取量可能会产生血压升高效应，特别是在女性和那些服用高血压药物的人群中。
MSG is generally found in processed, low-quality foods — which you should avoid or limit anyway. If you already eat a balanced diet with plenty of whole foods, you shouldn’t have to worry about high MSG intake.
味精通常存在于加工过的低质量食品中。无论如何我们应该避免食用或限制食用。如果您已经吃了均衡的饮食和大量的全食物，那么您就不必担心高MSG的摄取量。
- Food colourings ie Rhodamine B (red-pink) and Auramine (yellow) / 食用色素，即罗丹明B（粉红色）及金胺（黄色）
Food colouring or dyes are the one which give colours to candy, baked goods and condiments. They are used to enhance the appearance of food to make them more appealing and attractive.
食用色素或染料是为糖果、烘焙食品和调味品提供颜色的添加剂。它们用于增强食物的外观，使其更具吸引力。
Food dyes are controversial because it is said to be the cause of hyperactivity in children. A British study published concluded that high consumption of sodium benzoate and food dyes can increase to hyperactivity in children.
食用染料是具争议的，因为它被认为是导致儿童多动症的原因。英国一项研究发表的结论是，高消耗的苯甲酸钠和食用染料会增加儿童的多动症。
Rhodamine B, a chemical compound and a dye used as a tracer was once used as a food dye. It gives the red-pink colour to food such as chilli powder and belacan. It is not a permitted food colour and is considered to be potentially carcinogenic. It is commonly used to stain slides in laboratories and in the sewage industry to test for leaks in drains. Other banned food dye auramine that gives the colour yellow. It is illegally used normally in candy and junk food.
罗丹明B是曾被用作食用染料和示踪剂染料的一种化合物。它为食物提供红粉色，如辣椒粉和虾酱。它是禁用的食用色素。它被认为具有潜在的致癌性。它通常用于实验室和污水处理行业中，对载玻片进行染色，以测试排水管中的泄漏。其他禁用的食物染料如黄色的金胺。它通常被非法使用在糖果和垃圾食品中。
- Sodium Nitrite / 亚硝酸钠
Sodium nitrite is usually found in preserved meat products, like sausages and canned meats. It is an additive that is being used for curing meat. The International Agency for the Research of Cancer (IARC) has reviewed ingested nitrates and nitrites and classified them as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’ by the IARC.
亚硝酸钠通常存在于腌制肉制品中，如香肠和罐头肉类。它是一种用于腌制肉类的添加剂。国际癌症研究机构（IARC）已经审查了硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐，并将其归类为“可能对人类具有致癌性”的食品添加剂。
The nitrites become carcinogenic when it is being exposed to high heat. That is why high consumption of processed meat often being linked with cancer.
当亚硝酸盐暴露在高温下时会变成致癌物。这就是为什么经常食用加工肉类往往与癌症有关。
As a precaution, it is best to opt for raw meat that hasn’t been smoked, cured or salted, and use healthy methods of cooking, such as steaming, poaching, roasting or stir-frying.
作为预防措施，最好选择未经熏制或腌制的生肉，并使用健康的烹饪方法，如蒸，煮，烤或炒。
The fact is, the use of food additives is continuously being monitored. According to FDA, consumer should feel safe about the food they eat. Furthermore, all additives are subject to ongoing safety review as scientific understanding and methods of testing continue to improve.
我们应该不断监测食品添加剂的使用。根据FDA的说法，消费者应该对他们所吃的食物感到安全。此外，随着科学理解和测试方法的不断改进，所有添加剂都要接受持续的安全性审查。
