Foods: Additives

Gives the chemical composition of the two compounds and presents a neutral overview of what the compounds do.

Government of Canada site on BHA.

Discusses the possibility that BHA is a carcinogen.

A neutral overview of the additive.

A neutral description of the additive.

Describes some possible health concerns from the use of sodium benzoate.

Discusses the toxicity of the additive.

A brief history of the development and use of olestra from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Outlines the pros and cons of olestra.

A description of the limits placed on olestra by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Government of Canada site on MSG.

Describes MSG and outlines some possible dangers of MSG.

A generally pro MSG site.

A report on the toxic effects of MSG, presented to the World Health Organization.

Government of Canada site on adverse reactions to sulphites.

Wikipedia article describing sulfite.

Facts about sulphites from the Canadian Food Safety Network. (Scroll down to find the info.)

Government of Canada site on aspartame defending the use of aspartame.

A site claiming aspartame is an addictive drug.

A pro aspartame site.

A site that is very much against aspartame.

A description of where cochineal comes from.

Resinous glaze and other additives derived from insects in your food.

Facts about nitrates/nitrites from the Canadian Food Safety Network. (Scroll down to find the info.)

Describes why nitrates and nitrites are used, and defines the maximum level of nitrate/nitrite that can be used in Canada.

A brief description of why nitrates and nitrites are used.

A pro nitrate site.

Describes possible side effects of nitrates.