(7)Food additives should be approved and used only if they fulfil the criteria laid down in this Regulation. Food additives must be safe when used, there must be a technological need for their use, and their use must not mislead the consumer and must be of benefit to the consumer. Misleading the consumer includes, but is not limited to, issues related to the nature, freshness, quality of ingredients used, the naturalness of a product or of the production process, or the nutritional quality of the product, including its fruit and vegetable content. The approval of food additives should also take into account other factors relevant to the matter under consideration including societal, economic, traditional, ethical and environmental factors, the precautionary principle and the feasibility of controls. The use and maximum levels of a food additive should take into account the intake of the food additive from other sources and the exposure to the food additive by special groups of consumers (e.g. allergic consumers).