Unfortunately people like food to look nice, and everyone likes their cod nice and thick, the whiter the better. To give consumers what they like to see, phosphates are without a doubt a win-win solution for producers and consumers.
Now what may be difficult to understand, is a product which has been produced for ages using 2 simple ingredients, fish and salt, is now being manipulated with chemical additives. This issue about phosphates is actually something that has been done with most of the fish we eat every day.
I must add that I believe that, unauthorised chemical additives are used every day in almost all the industry, from whiteners to fatners, the truth is that, approving phosphates on salted cod will mean a singificant change in the product and the market.
There is also a health issue, although many tend to dismiss them, the truth is that a product that has been produced and sold in the past, will in the near future be manipulated chemically.
If the EU does approve phosphated in salted cod, then the Portuguese law which defines salted cod will have to be changed. A phosphated salted cod has very high moisture levels, drying this fish to Portuguese standards is a very difficult task.
I sincerely don't believe that the phosphates approval will improve salted cod, it might be beneficial to the industry, but not for the consumers health and wallet. Producers are the only ones who win in adding phosphates to salted cod, and Portuguese in particular lose, as their traditional salted cod will gradually disappear.
The traditional Portuguese cod is condemned to disappear, I don't know if everyone has eaten a true Portuguese salted cod meal, the traditional bacalhau, adding phosphates will not be the same.
