The move towards standardisation

Today the limits on impurities are well defined in legislation. Under European regulations non-alcoholic beverages for consumption without dilution 

The absence of standards of quality or composition, apart from those relating to pharmaceutical products (the reference here was the British Pharmacopoeia), caused some confusion in the early year s. Toxicology was in its infancy as a science and many of the ingredients used in the manufacture of beverages to stabilise and standardise the drink with apparent safety were subsequently found to be injurious to health at the levels used. It has been said that in the area of food and drink everything is a poison, it just depends on the dosage or intake  

The process of assessment and control has continued to the present day, such that, by and large, all food ingredients are controlled by legislation. When and where appropriate these are removed from the permitted list or limited to an acceptable daily intake (ADI). 

Across the globe, countries employ their own legislative controls for food ingredients, but there are two main regions that exert great influence upon world opinion on this issue the European system controlled by the European Parliament with designated E-numbers for permitted food additives, and the system used in the United States where at the federal level the Federal Food, Drag and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) lays down the framework for food safety. 

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