Abstract:
Food additives are substances added to food in order to maintain or improve the taste, texture, safety, freshness
or appearance. Food additives have been found to cause various health problems such as allergies, hormone
imbalances, cancers, fertility problems, obesity and hyperactivity. Limited data is available regarding the
consumer’s knowledge and perception of food additives in Sri Lanka. This descriptive cross -sectional study
was conducted to assess the consumers’ knowledge and perception on food additives to use the findings to
improve those aspects. Study sample consisted of 305 participants aged 30-50 years from Galle municipal
area. Data were collected by using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using
SPSS software version 22.0. Results indicated that the knowledge score on food additives in 73.7% of the
participants was poor, 20.7% were an average knowledge level, and 5.6% had having good knowledge. Only
36.1% of participants knew about the “E” numbers in foods, and 89.8% of participants believed food additives
cause an adverse effects on their health. Majority (79.3%) had the habit of reading food labels. About 71.2%
of participants do not frequently consume packed foods. Only 34.4% of participants knew about mono-sodium
glutamate. The level of knowledge on food additives is significantly different among the respondents with
different education levels (p=0. 001) and occupations (p=0.012). Females have the habit of reading food labels
more than males (p=0.032). Tamil and Muslim consumers use more food additives than Sinhalese people, and
graduates had a limited usage than the others. Usage of food additives showed significant differences among
the respondent’s educational levels (p=0.019) and ethnicity (p=0.009). The necessity of educating public on
the adverse health effects of food additives to minimize their consumption is emphasized. Controlling food
additives usage through necessary government legislations would be more effective.
