Humans have been adding substances to food for thousands of years to make food last longer or improve taste. Historians have found records indicating salt was used to preserve meat as early as 3000 BC!
What is a food additive?
A food additive is any chemical substance added to food during preparation or storage that either becomes part of the food or affect its characteristics for specific purposes.
Reducing food waste and food additives
One reason food additives are used is to improve the “keeping quality” and reduce food waste. For example, calcium propionate is added to bread to keep it from molding; BHA or BHT is added to food products to keep oils or fat from going rancid.
What are GMOs and are they okay to eat? What does organic farming look like? How are animals like chickens or cattle raised?
snapAG is a series of resources that invite students to explore the hot topics affecting the agriculture industry today. Topics range from organics, biotechnology, GMOs, livestock, and more.
Explore what’s trending in agriculture in Canada by browsing the topics here.
Sources available at: https://aitc-canada.ca/en-ca/learn-about-agriculture
snapAg is brought to you by Agriculture in the Classroom Canada and partners.