Definitions of food additives vary across the world. The Joint Commission on Food Codex Alimentarius of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) defines food additives as: non-nutritive substances that are intentionally added, generally in small amounts, to food to improve its appearance, flavor, texture, or storage properties.
According to this definition, food fortifiers intended to enhance the nutritional content of food, such as dietary fiber, trace elements, vitamin B12, fructooligosaccharides, taurine (often added to energy drinks), and L-carnitine (for weight loss, muscle building, and antioxidant effects), should not be included in the definition of food additives.
Different organizations or countries have different definitions: FAO/WHO Joint Commission on Food Codex Alimentarius: Food additives are non-nutritive substances that are intentionally added, generally in small amounts, to food to improve its appearance, flavor, texture, or storage properties.
EU: Food additives are any substances that are artificially added to food for technical purposes during the production, processing, preparation, handling, packaging, transportation, or storage of food.
United States: Food additives are substances intentionally used to cause or are intended to cause them to directly or indirectly become components of food or affect the characteristics of food.
China: According to Article 54 of the *Food Hygiene Law of the People's Republic of China*, Article 28 of the *Administrative Measures for the Hygiene of Food Additives*, Article 2 of the *Administrative Measures for the Hygiene of Food Fortifiers*, and Article 99 of the *Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China*, China defines food additives as: Artificial or natural substances added to food to improve its quality, color, aroma, and flavor, as well as for preservation, freshness, and processing needs.
According to the *National Food Safety Standard – Standard for the Use of Food Additives* (GB 2760–2014), food additives are defined as "artificial or natural substances added to food to improve its quality, color, aroma, and flavor, as well as for preservation, freshness, and processing needs. This includes food flavorings, base substances in chewing gum, and processing aids used in the food industry."
