FACTS ON FOOD INGREDIENTS

What are Food Ingredients

A food ingredient is any substance that is added to a food to achieve a desired effect. The term “food ingredient” includes food additives, which are ingredients added to foods for specific technical and/or functional purposes during processing, storage or packaging.

Types of Food Ingredients

Ingredients perform a variety of functions in foods, including providing nutrition, flavor, color, physical stability and many more. All ingredients used in food are required by law to be listed on the food’s nutrition facts panel.

Sources of Food Ingredients

Food ingredients may come from crops or from items that would otherwise be discarded like the rinds of citrus fruits. Many ingredients are sustainably sourced and benefit farmers worldwide who grow and harvest them.

FAQs About Food Additives

Answers to common questions about what is in our food