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A preservative is something that preserves or a chemical substance used to preserves foods or other organic materials from decomposition or fermentation.
 * Preservatives**

Americans spend about ninety percent of their food budget on processed foods, this means that they have been treated in some way after being harvested or butchered.Almost all of these processed foods contain additives, substances intended to change the food in some way before it is sold to consumers. Additives include flavorings that change a food's taste, preservatives that extend its shelf life, colorings that change the way it looks, and dietary additives, such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and other supplements. Packaging is considered an indirect food additive. Many kinds of packaging actually add substances to the food they provide to other coustmers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has currently has approved more than 3,000 food additives that are allowed to be used in the United States. But, while approved for people being able to eat them, food additives may still threaten peoples health. This is one of many reasons why it is better to purchase whole foods, or those that have not been processed.

Preservatives mormaly fall into one of three categories:
 * Those used to prevent bacterial or fungal growth
 * Those that prevent oxidation
 * Those that keep fruit form spolling as fast.

According to an article written for the FDA, "it's almost impossible to eat food without preservatives added by manufacturers," unless you eat exclusively fresh food that you cook yourself.

Many substances used in food production are not officially "additives," and are not regulated with humans eating them, in mind, but some always end up in our food. These include pesticides,antibotics, and heavy metals added to industrial animal feed. It has become very common to package foods,especially meat using "modified atmosphere packaging," which replaces oxygen in the food package with carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. These gases may not be used in amounts sufficient to cause health problems, critics point out that because the practice preserves color but does not prevent spoilage, it may help spoiled meat to be sold to unsuspecting consumers.

A lot packaged meats are also mixed with solutions of water, salt, and chemicals to enhance flavor. A meat industry study in the year 2004 found that forty-five percent of pork, twenty-three percent of chicken, and sixteen percent of beef in U.S. retail stores had been mixed with these solutions.

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