Food additives, E-numbers – they’re scary aren’t they? Everyone knows they’re horrible, toxic things that make kids jump around, refuse to go to bed, go purple in the face and generally drive their parents around the bend (do kids really need chemical help with any of those things?)

Be careful what you eat…

It’s Halloween, a day when children traditionally stuff their faces fully of sugary, brightly-coloured sweeties. But never mind those, let’s give some thought to the humble pumpkin. Yes the orange things that grow in the ground. Did you know they’re stuffed full of additives too? Even ‘organic’ ones? They are, really! Here’s an ingredients list…

Water, carbohydrate, protein, E300, E375, E101, pyridoxine, thiamine, E470a, pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, E306, E160a, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, purines, E621, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, iron, zinc.

Scared yet?

Ok ok, don’t panic. Put down the baseball bat. It’s all right really, allow me to translate…

E300 is ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C. E375 is niacin (vitamin B3). E101 is riboflavin (vitamin B2). Pyridoxine is vitamin B6. Thiamine is vitamin B1 (seeing a pattern here? Pumpkin is good for B vitamins). E470a represents potassium salts of fatty acids. Pteroyl-L-glutamic acid is another name for folic acid. E306 is tocopherol, or vitamin E. E160a is beta-carotene (vitamin A).

Palmitic acid is the most common fatty acid found in animals and plants, and linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids are essential fatty acids particularly found in pumpkin seeds (very tasty roasted). Purines are some of the building blocks of DNA (the word purine comes from ‘pure urine’ because they were first synthesised from uric acid, isolated from kidney stones – ewwww). E621 is the dreaded monosodium glutamate. A lot of people fear this one, but actually it’s just a sodium salt of glutamic acid, which is another key amino acid. Totally natural. In fact, it’s one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. (I will confess I’m improvising a wee bit here, but there’s no doubt that there’s glutamic acid in pumpkin – very abundant amino acid see – and there’s also sodium, so chances are there’s some monosodium glutamate knocking around in there.)

Potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, iron and zinc are all elements, and also important nutrients – you’ll find them all listed on the back of any good multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Food for thought? There’s a lot of nonsense spouted about additives and E numbers. For starters, that E? It means they’re regulated food additives that have been tested and approved for use with the European Union. They are, by definition, safe. Not only that, but quite a few of them are in your food to keep you safe by preventing harmful bacteria growing in it, for example. Lots and lots of them come from natural sources. Chemists like to extract and identify things, which is why lots of entirely natural substances have ended up with chemical names. An unfamiliar and complicated-sounding name doesn’t make something inherently dangerous.

On the other hand, there is something that’s been proven time and time again to cause numerous health issues from crashing energy levels to obesity, type two diabetes and dental problems. Yup. Sugar. E numbers have nothing on it.

I’m not suggesting anyone gives up sugar (where would be the fun in that, especially on Halloween?) but it’s always worth thinking about relative risk. If you’re going to accept a bit of sugar isn’t the end of the world, then give additives a break as well.

Right, I’m off to eat some Halloween biscuits – trick or treat!