The difference between additives and ingredients.
Ingredients are the inherent components of the food. On food labels they are listed first because they are present in the largest amounts. In apple pie the flour and apples are ingredients because without them it would not be apple pie.
Additives are not an inherent part of the food. They are added for a specific purpose such as enhancing colors and flavors or preserving the food. Regulations require that additives be used in very small quantities and appear at the bottom of food labels for this reason. (Ingredients and additives appear in descending order by the amount present in the food).
Categories of substances that may or may not appear on food labels.
Indirect Additive,Food Contact Substance,Food Contact Material and
Food Contact Article are categories of additives that may come into contact with the food through packing or by processing. They are regulated but not necessarily labeled. There are thousands of these additives. The best known additive from one of these categories is Bisphenol A.
