Q&A

Answer

According to the Ministry, a food additive undergoes a detailed safety assessment by a Scientific Commission of independent scientists before it may be used in a food, and it is approved only for specific foods under specific conditions. Their use is monitored regularly through risk-based inspections. The Ministry stresses that safe use is supported by a balanced and varied diet.

Answer

No. According to the Ministry, the legislation does not permit preservatives to be added to yoghurt in the first place. The real reasons for a long shelf life are heat treatment, the natural protection provided as lactic acid bacteria lower the pH of the medium, controlled fermentation, the cold chain and advanced packaging technologies. Home-made yoghurt spoils sooner because these conditions cannot be controlled to the same degree at home.

Answer

Food additives permitted for use in foods are numbered under an international system so that a common standard can be applied, and the letter E at the start of the number is the first letter of "Europe". An E number means that the risk assessment work for that substance has been completed and that the official authority has permitted its use in foods. In Türkiye, as in European Union countries, the label must state either the name or the E number of every additive used, together with its function. Which additive may be used in which food and at what maximum level is set out in the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Additives, which is aligned with European Union legislation. An E number describes a regulatory permission; whether an additive is suitable from a halal point of view depends on the source it is obtained from and has to be assessed separately.

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No. Food additives can be obtained from both natural and synthetic (artificial) sources. Among the examples given by the Ministry, the red colouring betanin (E 162) obtained from beetroot, the emulsifier lecithin (E 322) obtained from soya beans and the thickener pectin (E 440) obtained from apples are entirely of natural origin. Some substances are identical to what occurs in nature: ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E 300) is naturally present in fruits such as oranges and the very same substance can be produced in a laboratory, both forms being chemically identical and serving the same function. There are also additives that do not occur in nature and are synthesised only in a laboratory, and their use is likewise limited by the rules and limits set in the Turkish Food Codex. A label shows the function of the additive together with its name or E number but not the source it was obtained from, so if the source matters to you, you need to ask the manufacturer product by product.

Answer

Food additives are assessed for toxicological, carcinogenic and mutagenic effects by scientific bodies such as the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which operates under the United Nations, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These assessments establish the daily intake amounts considered safe for people, and use is permitted only within those limits. In Türkiye the use of additives is regulated under the Turkish Food Codex, which is aligned with European Union legislation; they are therefore not substances used without limit or oversight but substances subject to official controls. Every product containing additives must declare them on the label: first the functional class, then the name of the substance or its E number — for example "Thickener (E 412)" or "Thickener (guar gum)". These assessments concern compliance with food legislation; halal suitability is a separate matter and has to be judged according to the source of the additive.