Food Additives to Avoid: An Honest Guide

• August 04 2017, by SANUSq Research team
• 8 min reading time

Processed foods are full of additives that keep them stable, colourful and cheap. Most are permitted by regulators — but a handful are genuinely worth limiting. Here's an evidence-based look, without the scare tactics.

Written by SANUSq Research Team | Medically reviewed by Dr Ajay Kumar, MD
Published: 22 June 2018 | Updated: 24 August 2026

Preservatives, colours, sweeteners and flavourings do real jobs: extending shelf life, improving appearance and cutting cost. Regulators like the FDA and EFSA assess these additives for safety, and most pose little concern in normal amounts. That said, a few have credible question marks against them, and several are markers of ultra-processed foods that are best eaten sparingly anyway. If you're wondering which ingredients to avoid in food — or at least to cut back on — here are eight worth knowing about.

1. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

HFCS is a cheap liquid sweetener made from corn starch, found in soft drinks, cereals, sauces and baked goods. It isn't uniquely "toxic," but it delivers a large load of added sugar and fructose, and diets high in it are associated with weight gain, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver. The practical issue is quantity: it's in so many products that intake adds up fast. Treat it as added sugar to limit, not a poison.

2. Sodium nitrate and nitrite

These salts preserve cured and processed meats (bacon, ham, hot dogs), preventing dangerous bacteria and giving the pink colour. The genuine concern is that, under high heat or in the stomach, nitrites can form nitrosamines, some of which are carcinogenic — which is part of why processed meat is classed as a cancer risk. Nitrates themselves also occur naturally in vegetables, where the context is different. Sensible approach: keep processed meats occasional.

3. Artificial sweeteners

Marketed as guilt-free, artificial sweeteners are genuinely useful for some people cutting sugar — but they're not automatically "healthy." Research suggests they may influence appetite and, in some studies, the gut microbiome.

The evidence is still evolving and effects vary between individuals — so moderation, rather than alarm, is the reasonable stance.

4. Artificial food dyes

Synthetic dyes make ultra-processed foods look bright and appealing, especially to children. The most discussed concern is a possible link with hyperactivity in some children — an area of real but modest and contested evidence (we cover it in detail in our food dyes articles). Since dyes appear mainly in low-nutrient foods, cutting back costs you nothing nutritionally.

5. Artificial flavourings

These lab-made flavour blends mimic natural tastes at low cost. For most people they're harmless in normal amounts, and the dramatic claims sometimes made about them aren't well supported. Their main downside is that, like dyes, they're a hallmark of heavily processed foods with little nutritional value.

6. Trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils)

This is the one with the strongest case against it. Artificial trans fats — formed by hydrogenating oils — raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol, lower HDL, and clearly increase heart-disease risk. The evidence is so strong that many countries have banned or phased them out, and manufacturers have largely removed them. Still worth checking labels for "partially hydrogenated oil."

7. Sodium benzoate

A common preservative in acidic foods and drinks, sodium benzoate is generally regarded as safe at permitted levels. The notable caveat: combined with vitamin C (ascorbic acid), it can form small amounts of benzene, a carcinogen — a reaction manufacturers now manage by reformulating. Some studies have also linked benzoate-containing drinks with hyperactivity in children. A reasonable additive to be aware of rather than fear.

8. Potassium bromate

Used to strengthen dough in some breads and baked goods, potassium bromate is one additive where caution is well justified.

It's banned as a food additive in the EU, UK, Canada, China, India and many other countries, though still permitted in the US. Proper baking largely converts it to harmless bromide, but residues can remain — so choosing "unbromated" flour and bread is a sensible precaution.

What an E number actually means

One point worth clearing up, because it causes a great deal of unnecessary worry: an E number is not a warning label. The E simply means the additive has been assessed and approved for use in the European Union, and the number is a filing code rather than a measure of risk.

Plenty of unremarkable substances carry one. Vitamin C is E300. Riboflavin, one of the B vitamins, is E101. Beetroot red is E162, and citric acid, which occurs in every lemon, is E330. A long ingredients list full of E numbers may simply mean the manufacturer has chosen to use the codes rather than the names, while a list free of them can still describe a heavily processed product using the full chemical names instead.

What matters is which substance, in what amount, and in what kind of food. That is why the entries above are specific rather than a blanket warning, and it is why the most reliable signal is not the presence of additives but the degree of processing. A product that needs colour, flavour, emulsifiers and preservatives to be palatable and stable is telling you something about itself before you read a single code.

How to cut back — without the anxiety

You don't need to fear every label. The single most effective step is to lean toward whole, minimally-processed foods, where most of these additives simply don't appear. Beyond that: read ingredient lists, choose unbromated and nitrite-free options where you can, and keep ultra-processed foods as the exception rather than the staple.

Frequently asked questions

Which additives are genuinely worth worrying about?

Of all the food additives to avoid, the strongest case is against artificial trans fats (heart risk) and potassium bromate (a possible carcinogen banned in many countries). Nitrites in processed meat are also worth limiting. Many other additives are permitted and low-risk in normal amounts — diet quality matters more than any single ingredient.

Are harmful food additives actually regulated?

Yes — the FDA, EFSA and equivalent bodies assess additives for safety and set limits. That doesn't mean every additive is ideal, and standards differ between countries (potassium bromate is banned in the EU but allowed in the US), but the picture is far from unregulated.

Is high-fructose corn syrup worse than sugar?

Not dramatically, chemically speaking — the bigger issue is that HFCS is added to so many products that total sugar intake climbs. Treat it like any added sugar to limit, focusing on cutting sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks.

How can I avoid these ingredients easily?

Favour whole and minimally-processed foods, read labels, and choose unbromated flour, nitrite-free meats and products with shorter ingredient lists. You don't need to be perfect — reducing ultra-processed foods handles most of these at once.

References

1. Suez J, Korem T, Zeevi D, et al. Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature. 2014;514(7521):181–6. PMID 25231862

Read more on the blog

• Artificial food dyes: Part 1
• Why is sugar so bad?

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We wish you good health on your terms.
The team at SANUSq.

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food additives to avoid harmful food additives ingredients to avoid in food nitrites potassium bromate processed food trans fats

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