The dilemma of allergy to food additives.

Objective: To provide a brief summary on food additives and to outline a practical approach for evaluating subjects suspected of having reactions to food additives.

Data Sources: Information was derived from selected reviews and original articles published in peer-reviewed journals, supplemented by the clinical experience of the authors.

Study Selection: Priority was given to studies that used blinded, placebo controlled, oral challenges to confirm adverse reactions to food additives.