We live in a world where food is not as natural as it should be. Food nowadays has so many additives that it is sometimes impossible to know what one should not eat or drink. We are told not to eat certain foods with certain additives then in other reports we are told that those additives are safe. So how do we know what we should or should not eat?
Tomorrow Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) will host a workshop on the use of food additives and implications for food safety.
Titled Food Additives and Food Safety and organized by the university’s department of Food Science and Technology, the one day meeting is expected to bring together over 100 participants from academia, food manufacturers, research institutions, consumer groups and regulators to discuss an issue that has gained increasing importance in the local food industry. The workshop shall be held at the Intercontinental Hotel and the organizers have lined up several speakers: scientists, regulators, manufacturers and consumer groups.
Among the elements to be tackled are food safety regulations and standards, consumer concerns against scientific evidence and safety evaluation of food additives.
While the use of food additives to maintain quality, ensure safety and improve appeal has become imperative in the food industry, the practice is prone to fears and myths especially among consumers, largely on the back of lack of adequate information on the same.
