Food additives have been used for centuries. As the name suggests, they are being added to the food to preserve its flavor and enhance its taste. There are many forms of food additives being used and for safety, food manufacturers are required to put them on packaging in order for the consumers to know what they are buying. However, there have been many controversies about its safety esp. on health. Food additives are the ones being blamed by most to have caused migraine, hyperactivity, asthma, allergies and even cancer. And though there has not been a scientific conclusion to prove all these, many people are avoiding using food additives already, and some are simply limiting the use of them.

Examples (commonly used):
Sugar
Salt
Vinegar
Monosodium glutamate
For more information on food additives, please read further on sources.

Hi @nyuser33, food additives are substances that are added to a food product (intentionally or unintentionally) during food processing or production of food.

These are common food additives;
*MSG or Monosodium glutanamate
*Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, and sodium cyclamate
*antioxidants in oily and fatty foods
*Benzoic acid in fruit juices
*Sulfites in beer, wine and packaged vegetables
*Nitrates and nitrites usually in hot dogs and other meat products
*Lecithin, gelatin, corn starch, waxes, gums, propylene glycol are common food stabilizers and emulsifiers
*different coloring agents

These are the uses of food additives:
1. It helps maintain consistency of the product
2. Improve or preserve the nutrient value
3. Maintain the wholesomeness of foods
4.Helps control the acidity and alkalinity and provide leavening
5. Gives color and enhance flavor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a list of food additive that are considered safe. These are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) list which contains approximately 700 items. Examples of them are:guar gum, sugar, salt, and vinegar.
FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture supervise and regulate the use of additives in products sold in the U.S. But people who have special diets or intolerances should be careful in selecting products in the grocery store.

Food additives are edible, or they would not be in food. Many of these additives are put into processed foods in order to improve their shelf life. After all, people purchase a week's worth of food and they don't want their purchases to rot or decay before they get a chance to eat it.

I used to go to the store and buy cucumbers and turnips that wax on them. The purpose was to keep the produce fresh longer. Now they put all kinds of natural and man-made ingredients into products that are not fresh to ensure that they won't be stale.

Everything from canned tomatoes to cereal have additives and preservatives in them. Some of the additives help the flavor, too!

The FDA tests food additives to ensure that they are safe to eat. They let them be put into food because of shelf life improvement and benefit. The FDA is supposed to test the claims of the additives and ensure that they work for the time that the manufacturer says they will.