Attitudes towards food additives: a pilot study

Abstract

Modern food processing involves the use of different food improvement agents. Among them, consumers are mostly familiar with food additives. Most of them are regarded as being, at least to some extent, the cause of different diseases, even though their use is highly regulated in Europe. This study aims at understanding the knowledge that a sample of people from Bucharest has towards additives and, especially, sweeteners. A total of 232 men and women from Bucharest, randomly selected from the clients of a pharmacy, were asked to complete a 20 item questionnaire regarding food additives. Results showed that most of the people do not know the technological function of sweeteners, being skeptical of buying foods with such ingredients. 76.3% of the consumers disagree with the use of additives and 83.6% consider additives as being dangerous for health, especially preservatives and colourings. More educated and affluent people,
as well as elderly, are ready to pay more in order to get additive-free food. Our findings are similar with those from other European countries and underline the need for proper education regarding the necessity of additives in modern food industry and about the process of evaluation of their safety, before they enter the market. The average buyer must feel safe and confident when purchasing food or beverages containing additives.