Incidental food additive

A substance may be present in a food only as a consequence of its having been used as an aid to production or storage, as for example a pesticide residue or a substance derived from a packaging material. Such substances have been called incidental additives. It can alter the food properties but not have added on purpose.

Incidental additives may be transferred to foods by contact such as ingredients of packaging or of equipment surface coating. This group of food chemicals can be broadly classified under the general heading of contaminants and residues.

The federal government regulates all foods additives and requires that food processes perform tests to determine whether additives are present in safe levels.
Incidental food additive