Food Additives and Preservatives:
Keeping Food Fresh and Safe

Why food additives are essential for freshness, safety, and quality.

When you see a long ingredient list or unfamiliar scientific-sounding names on a food label, it’s natural to feel a bit uneasy.

After all, if you make muffins at home, you’re not adding sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate or calcium propionate. Why are they in the package of muffins at the store? But most of those ingredients are there to keep food fresh, safe, and enjoyable to eat—just like the preservation techniques people have relied on for generations. (By the way, those preservatives in the muffins prevent mold and bacteria, extending the muffins’ shelf life!)

Preserving food isn’t new; it has a long history. People have used methods like canning, curing, smoking, and salting for centuries to keep food from spoiling. But these traditional methods can come with risks—like spoilage if a can or jar isn’t sealed properly—and they can sometimes change the taste, texture, or quality of food. Modern preservatives build on these age-old practices, allowing food to stay safe and fresh without compromising quality. To learn more about different preservation methods, scroll to the bottom of the page.

A person in a store aisle reads the nutrition label of a packaged food product, pondering the benefits of preservatives in food. Surrounded by colorful groceries on shelves, they consider how these additives maintain freshness, questioning if food preservatives are safe.

Food additives and preservatives are some of the most highly regulated ingredients in North America. Before they’re allowed in food, these substances go through extensive safety testing by agencies like Health Canada and the U.S. FDA to make sure they’re safe to consume.
Preservatives work in different ways, depending on the food:

bug-slash
Antimicrobials
Stop bacteria, mold, and yeast from growing.
plant
Antioxidants
Prevent fats and oils from going rancid, helping foods last longer.
acid
Acids
Help preserve flavor, color, and texture by controlling the food’s pH.
Whole orange with one half and a slice in front, displaying bright orange color and glossy skin, accompanied by two green leaves. A vibrant example of nature's perfection, underscoring the appeal of foods untouched by artificial preservatives.

Take Vitamin C, for example—a natural preservative that keeps orange juice fresh. Without preservatives, many of the foods we rely on would spoil before reaching our plates, leading to more food waste and higher costs at the store.

Preservatives also make it possible to safely transport foods over long distances. For example, without preservatives, some foods like Greek olives or imported cheeses would spoil before they could reach North American grocery shelves. And in the same way that organic farming alone couldn’t meet global food demands, preventing food spoilage with modern preservatives helps ensure a steady, affordable supply of safe food for a growing population.

Food additives and preservatives are carefully regulated and essential for maintaining a safe, stable food supply. When you see these ingredients on a label, you can feel confident that they’re there to help, not harm. Their purpose is to keep food fresh and nutritious, allowing you to enjoy a variety of safe and affordable options.

A plate of grilled meat with boiled potatoes and a fresh salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and dill garnish showcases the bounty made possible by precision agriculture. This method optimizes the use of pesticides and fertilizers in farming for sustainable harvests.
A stack of legal documents is placed next to a wooden gavel on a table, resembling the careful deliberation needed in addressing regulations related to pesticides and fertilizers in farming.
Today’s food safety regulations in the U.S. alone involve over 35 federal statutes, 28 House and Senate committees, and four major government agencies, all working to keep our food safe.
Slices of cured ham are arranged on a wooden board, garnished with herbs and peppercorns, highlighting the art of natural vs artificial preservatives, with parsley in the background.
Nitrates (a common food preservative) in most meats must be less than 200 parts per million. That’s like one inch in 16 miles. And at those levels, they’re effective at preventing the development of bacteria that cause botulism, salmonella and E. coli.
A large stainless steel pressure cooker with a dial gauge sits on a table near three jars filled with preserved food, showcasing the purpose of food preservatives in extending shelf life.
Traditional food preservation methods include boiling, canning, curing, fermenting, smoking, jellying, pickling, salting, sugaring and even burying. Modern practices include pasteurization, vacuum sealing, aseptic or sterile processing, irradiation, pulsed electric field electroporation, modified atmosphere and nonthermal plasma

Traditional Preservation Methods

  • Boiling: Heating food in boiling water to kill bacteria and prevent spoilage.
  • Canning: Sealing food in jars or cans and heating to kill bacteria, keeping food safe for months.
  • Curing: Using salt, sugar, or nitrates to draw out moisture and preserve meats like ham or bacon.
  • Fermenting: Allowing natural bacteria to break down food, which keeps it fresh and adds unique flavors, as with yogurt or sauerkraut.
  • Smoking: Exposing food to smoke from burning wood, which adds flavor and preserves food by drying it.
  • Jellying: Using fruit pectin to thicken and preserve foods like jams and jellies.
  • Pickling: Soaking food in vinegar or brine, which creates a sour flavor and keeps it fresh.
  • Salting: Adding salt to dry out food and stop bacteria growth, as done with fish or jerky.
  • Sugaring: Adding sugar to preserve fruits by reducing water that bacteria need to grow, as in candied fruit.
  • Burying: Storing food underground in cool soil to keep it fresh longer, traditionally used for root vegetables.

Modern Preservation Methods

  • Pasteurization: Heating food (usually liquids) to kill harmful bacteria; for example, in milk. Pregnant people are advised to avoid unpasteurized cheeses, which can carry bacteria that are especially risky during pregnancy.
  • Vacuum Sealing: Removing air from packaging to slow down bacteria growth and keep food fresh longer.
  • Aseptic or Sterile Processing: Sterilizing food and its packaging separately to ensure it stays safe without refrigeration, as in boxed milk or soups.
  • Irradiation: Exposing food to controlled radiation to kill bacteria and parasites without changing taste or texture.
  • Pulsed Electric Field Electroporation: Using electric pulses to break down cell walls in food, killing bacteria and extending shelf life, commonly used for juices.
  • Modified Atmosphere Packaging: Replacing oxygen in packaging with gasses like nitrogen or carbon dioxide to slow spoilage, often used for fresh produce and meats.
  • Nonthermal Plasma: Using ionized gas to kill bacteria on food surfaces, keeping fresh produce safe without heat or chemicals.

References

Ashraf, S., et al. (2019). Food irradiation: A review. International Journal of Chemical Studies. 

BBC. (2019, March 13). Towards substitution of hexane as extraction solvent of food products. BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-what-are-nitrates-in-food-side-effects

Canadian Institute of Food Safety. (2021, November 16). Understanding food preservatives: What are the health risks? Canadian Institute of Food Safety. https://blog.foodsafety.ca/food-preservatives-what-are-health-risks

Cleveland Clinic. (2023, November 16). Nitrates and nitrites: What are they and what foods have them? Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-nitrates

Corliss, J. (2022, February 1). Nitrates in food and medicine: What’s the story? Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/nitrates-in-food-and-medicine-whats-the-story

Food Standards Agency. (2024, April 12). Food additives. Food Standards Agency. https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-additives

Gustavsson, J., et al. (2011). Global food losses and food waste. Food and Agriculture Organization. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf

Kumar, A. (2019). Food preservation: Traditional and modern techniques. Acta Scientific Nutritional Health. https://doi.org/10.31080/ASNH.2019.03.0529

Lee, P. M., & Gerriets, V. (2024). Nitrates. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545149/

Ma, L., et al. (2018, October 1). Nitrate and nitrite in health and disease. Aging Disease. https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2017.1207

UC Davis. (2017, June 28). Is irradiated food safe? Center for Consumer Research. https://ccr.ucdavis.edu/food-irradiation/irradiated-food-safe

U.S. EPA. (n.d.). United States 2030 food loss and waste reduction goal. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal

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