Food additives refer to chemically synthesized or natural substances added to food in order to improve the quality, color, aroma and taste of food, as well as for the needs of antiseptic and processing technology. Due to the rapid development of the food industry, food additives have become an important part of the modern food industry, and have become an important driving force for technological progress and technological innovation in the food industry. In the use of food additives, in addition to ensuring that they play their due functions and roles, the most important thing is to ensure the safety and hygiene of food. In order to standardize the use of food additives and ensure the safety of the use of food additives, the National Health and Family Planning Commission has formulated and promulgated GB2760 "National Food Safety Standards for the Use of Food Additives" in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China". This standard specifies the types of additives that are allowed to be used in food, and specifies the scope and amount of use in detail.

　　The definitions of food additives vary from country to country. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Joint Food Regulation Committee define food additives as: food additives are consciously added to food in small amounts to improve the quality of food. Appearance, flavor and texture or storage properties of non-nutritive substances. According to this definition, food fortifiers for the purpose of enhancing the nutritional content of food should not be included in the scope of food additives.