Article 150 of the Food Safety Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) stipulates: "Food additives refer to artificial or natural substances added to food to improve the quality, color, aroma and taste of food and meet the needs of preservation, preservation and processing technology, including nutritional fortifiers."

There are many kinds of food additives, including flavor enhancers, defoamers, fillers, colorants, preservatives and so on. The use of food additives is mainly to improve the color and fragrance of food, at the same time, it can play the role of preservation and antisepsis, and ensure the quality of food to a certain extent, which is allowed to be added to food by law. Food additives are often non-edible substances added by sellers to change the shape and color of food. If such substances are illegally added to food, it may lead to food quality and safety problems.