Practical problems
ANGELA WILKINSON
Chef-manager for Nelson Hind at Measurement Technology, Luton
(Measurement Technology manufactures safety equipment for industry)
Caters for 80 people per day
"I work for a company which stipulates that fresh produce is used, so I rarely use products with additives in them. And, fortunately, my client is very health-conscious too.
"When I do use the odd item that has additives in it, I check to see what it is carrying. As a young mother, I read E for Additives from cover to cover, because I was concerned about what I gave my children. So I do understand what the E numbers represent on labels." Wilkinson previously worked as a food technician, so has studied the subject of food additives for some years.
"I buy ready-made bouillon, but I buy expensive ones that tend to have less additives in them. I do use colouring in foods such as chicken gravy, which, made naturally, has quite a pale make-up, so I add a bit of caramel or turmeric to darken it. And I make a lot of ethnic foods using those ingredients as well, but I have no qualms about using natural colourings."
Food colour presents a problem for Wilkinson. She says customers expect certain items, such as mushy peas, to be a certain colour. But, bought naturally the peas's rich, green colour cannot be assured. In those circumstances, she says, she has to buy in.
KARL WITHEY
Head chef for Redcliffe Contract Catering at Cadbury's in Bournville
Caters for anything up to 5,000 people a day
"Most of our food is made from fresh produce, so there is little that we buy in that contains food additives. Where we do use such items, for example pre-prepared stocks, we buy quality products with low amounts of additives."
Withey says he sees the same difficulties as Wilkinson at Nelson Hind - customers still expect to see foods a particular colour.
"We bought in a variety of freshly made sausages, but the customers would not eat them, they wanted ‘regular' sausages."
He believes that the public is going through a transitional period - some people want to know what goes into everything they eat, while others prefer things to stay as they are. "It's very difficult for chefs at the moment. People don't know what they want."
MARK EVANS
Head chef, Gardner Merchant catering operation at the NFU Mutual and Avon Insurance Group,
Stratford-upon-Avon
Catering for 250-400 people a day
Evans says he is concerned about the use of additives in food from a professional and domestic point of view.
"Obviously, if the Government says that the use of additives is allowed, then you have it in your mind that everything is alright. If people can prove that certain additives are not alright, then they need to be identified and something needs to be done about it."
He would like to see a phone service introduced that consumers and food handlers can use to find out exactly what something is by speaking to someone straight away.
"You used to say, if something had more than three E numbers, don't buy it. But now companies have reverted to giving the E numbers their proper names, so you don't recognise them for what they are. It's a minefield really."
If Evans is unfamiliar with the name of an ingredient on the products he buys in, he asks his supplier for an explanation. Evans buys fresh produce, with the exception of re-hydrated stocks, frozen chips and some frozen vegetables.
"Gardner Merchant is very conscientious with the standards and presentation of its food. Yes, there is a percentage risk with using a stock with additives in it, but there is a higher risk of salmonella from making a natural stock. It's a double-edged sword.
"Obviously, a properly made stock is unbeatable, but it is not practical to make a fresh stock every day. I know hotels where stocks have been on all day and all night and when items needed to be used up they have been thrown into the stock."
