Why are there additives?

Question

Why are there additives?

Answer 1

elaborate and then i'll help you

Answer 2

because someone put it in.

Answer 3

I'm guessing you mean food additives so I'll answer with that assumption. Additives enhance the appearance, flavour, or texture of food or keep it safe and fresh for longer. This saves food chains millions of dollars because without additives to preserve food, the food would spoil and have to be thrown out and replaced with more fresh food. So additives give foods a longer shelf life.

Additives also help foods sell by giving them a more attractive appearance, for example, the additive sodium nitrite is added to meats (especially processed meats) to alter the color. It gives the meat that redish, pinkish color, when the meat should really be a greyish color. So by adding the additive to the meat it looks fresh and people will buy it.

Some other additives are Emulsifiers, which keep ingredients like oil and water together. Thickeners and gelling agents, which adds body to foods and Stabilisers which stop ingredients seperating and make desserts such as ice cream and instant desserts feel smoother and creamier in your mouth.

To tell you the truth I am strongly against additives. They are extremely dangerous, especially the ones in meat and I think it's only a matter of time before there is strong evidence linking additives to Cancer and Neurodegenerative diseases.

Personally I think there are additives simply because food companies and chains want to save money by having products that last longer and make money by having products that taste and look good to consumers and that won't spoil quickly. Their selfishness to make money clouds their concern for human health. I could go on  and on about food additives so I'm going to stop now. I hope this information is what your question was in reference to. If not sorry and just ignore my rambling.