Food additives to avoid

A quick note on how to read this. “Avoid” is a judgement about a specific substance: its own toxicology, or an exposure that overshoots the safe ceiling. It is not a dose judgement about how much sugar or salt is in a product. And it doesn't mean a single exposure is dangerous; it means the additive is worth steering clear of over time. Tap any entry for the full explanation and the EFSA reference.

Color

A bright yellow synthetic dye in soft drinks, candy, and snacks. One of the six colours the EU forces to carry a warning that it may harm children's activity and attention — a label no other additive class needs.

Color

A greenish-yellow synthetic dye. EU labels must warn of possible effects on children's behavior. Not approved for food in the US.

Color

An orange-yellow synthetic dye in candy, sodas, and cheese-flavoured snacks. Another of the six colours the EU requires to carry a warning about effects on children's activity and attention.

Color

A red synthetic dye used in jams, candy, and drinks. EU labels must warn of possible effects on children's behavior. Not authorised for food in the US, Norway, or Japan.

Color

A dark red synthetic dye. Banned for food use in the United States since 1976 and tightly restricted in the EU. EFSA cut the safe daily intake by more than 80% in 2010.

Color

A bright red synthetic dye used in desserts and processed meats. EU labels must warn of possible effects on children's behavior. Not approved for food in the US or Norway.

Color

A synthetic red azo dye. Banned in the EU and the US — the EU withdrew it, and the FDA has never permitted it in food. Azo dyes of this family are linked to hyperactivity in children and carry allergy concerns.

Color

A cherry-red synthetic dye. The FDA revoked its food authorization in January 2025 after cancer findings in rats. The EU restricts it to cocktail and candied cherries.

Color

The bright red synthetic dye sold as Red 40 in the US. One of the six colours the EU makes carry a children's activity-and-attention warning. European brands often colour the same product with beet juice instead.

Color

A synthetic blue dye used in confectionery and Scotch eggs. Rare but documented anaphylaxis reports, mostly from medical dye use rather than food.

Color

A synthetic blue dye in ice cream, candy, and baked goods. It does not carry the EU children's warning, and the evidence against it is thinner than for the yellow and red dyes — but California's regulator found it can worsen neurobehavioural problems in some children, and it is a petroleum dye that adds nothing but colour.

Color

A vivid blue synthetic dye in candy, drinks, and ice cream. It carries no EU children's warning and the behavioural evidence is weaker than for the yellow and red dyes — but it is a petroleum-derived colour with thin long-term data, and both the FDA and California have now moved to get it out of food.

Color

A synthetic green dye (Fast Green FCF). Banned in the EU; still permitted in the US, though the FDA moved to revoke several synthetic dyes in 2025. Animal studies have reported tumours at the injection site and bladder effects.

Color

Caramel color processed with ammonia. Contains 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI, a possible animal carcinogen). Found in dark beers, biscuits, and some sauces.

Color

The caramel color used in colas and dark sodas. Contains 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI, a possible animal carcinogen). Coca-Cola and Pepsi reformulated to cut 4-MEI levels in 2012.

Color

A bright white food coloring. The EU banned it as a food additive in 2022 after EFSA concluded it could damage DNA. The FDA still permits it.

Preservative

A mould and yeast inhibitor. EFSA withdrew its approval in the EU in 2018 after genotoxicity concerns it could not rule out. Yuka moved it to red in 01/2025.

Preservative

A preservative in soft drinks, pickles, and sauces. In acidic drinks it can react with vitamin C to form benzene, a known human carcinogen. EFSA found toddlers and children who drink flavoured drinks regularly can go over the safe daily limit.

Preservative

The sodium salt of benzoic acid. The standard preservative in soft drinks, sauces, and pickles. Can form benzene when combined with vitamin C in the same product.

Preservative

The potassium salt of benzoic acid. Same benzene-formation concern as sodium benzoate when combined with vitamin C. Used as the lower-sodium alternative.

Preservative

A pungent preservative in wine, dried fruit, and processed shellfish. Triggers asthma attacks in about 1% of the population, mostly asthmatics.

Preservative

A sulphite preservative used in wine, dried fruit, and processed potato. Same asthma-trigger concern as sulphur dioxide for the ~1% who are sensitive.

Preservative

A sulphite preservative used in wine and fruit products. Same asthma-trigger concern as the rest of the sulphite family.

Preservative

The most common form of sulphite preservative in dried fruit, wine, and pickled foods. Asthma trigger in sulphite-sensitive people.

Preservative

The potassium version of metabisulphite. Standard wine and brewing preservative. Same asthma-trigger concern for sulphite-sensitive people.

Preservative

A sulfite preservative. Sulfites trigger asthma attacks in sensitive people and must be declared as an allergen above 10 mg/kg. Yuka moved the whole E220-E228 sulfite family to red in 03/2026.

Preservative

A sulphite preservative used in some wines and brewing. Same asthma-trigger concern for the roughly 1% of people sensitive to sulphites.

Preservative

A sulphite preservative used in brewing and some fruit products. Same asthma-trigger concern as the rest of the sulphite family.

Preservative

A sulphite preservative used in winemaking and some processed foods. Same asthma-trigger concern as the rest of the sulphite family.

Preservative

A preservative used in cured meats. During cooking it can form nitrosamines, compounds linked to colorectal cancer. IARC classifies processed meat as a known carcinogen.

Preservative

The standard curing salt for bacon, ham, and hot dogs. Can form nitrosamines during cooking, linked to colorectal cancer. IARC lists processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Preservative

A preservative in cured meats that converts to nitrite in the body, then potentially to nitrosamines linked to colorectal cancer.

Preservative

Saltpetre. Used in traditional dry-cured meats and some cheeses. Converts to nitrite in the body, then potentially to colorectal-cancer-linked nitrosamines.

Antioxidant

A synthetic antioxidant that stops fats going rancid. EFSA could not establish a safe intake level, and it is a known contact allergen. Yuka moved it to red in 10/2024.

Antioxidant

A synthetic antioxidant used in fats and snack foods. EFSA could not establish a safe intake level. A recognised contact allergen. Yuka moved it to red in 10/2024.

Antioxidant

A synthetic, petroleum-derived antioxidant in frying oils, instant noodles, and crackers. Its safe daily limit is one of the lowest of any antioxidant additive, set after animal studies showed immune-system and liver effects. Natural alternatives do the same job.

Antioxidant

A synthetic antioxidant in cereals, fats, and snack foods. The WHO's cancer agency (IARC) classifies it as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), and California lists it as a chemical known to cause cancer. Most clean-label brands have dropped it.

Antioxidant

A synthetic antioxidant, BHA's twin, in cereals, fats, chewing gum, and beer. Its evidence base is weaker than BHA's — IARC rates it Group 3 (not classifiable as to carcinogenicity). The caution rests on thyroid and reproductive effects in animal studies and the fact that it is an avoidable synthetic.

Antioxidant

An antioxidant originally developed as a pesticide and rubber stabiliser. The EU suspended its feed authorisation in 2017 because a genotoxic metabolite could not be ruled out. Yuka moved it from green straight to red in 01/2025.

Acidity regulator

The main acid in cola drinks, and an added phosphate. EFSA's 2019 review found that phosphate intake already exceeds the safe daily limit for many children and teenagers, and that the limit does not protect people with reduced kidney function.

Emulsifier

An emulsifier and stabiliser in processed cheese, meats, and frozen foods. It counts toward a total phosphate load that EFSA found already exceeds the safe daily limit for many children, and that is linked to kidney and cardiovascular harm.

Emulsifier

An emulsifier and buffering agent in processed cheese, meat, and powdered drinks. Another added phosphate feeding a total intake that EFSA found already exceeds the safe daily limit for many children, and that strains kidneys and blood vessels.

Emulsifier

The same mineral your bones are made of, used as a calcium source and anti-caking agent in flour, cereals, and supplements. It is still an added phosphate, and EFSA found total phosphate intake already exceeds the safe daily limit for many children.

Emulsifier

A seaweed-derived thickener in plant milks, dairy, and deli meats. EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation could not confirm it is safe — it made the daily limit temporary and asked for missing data, including on the inflammatory low-molecular-weight fraction that food-grade carrageenan contains.

Emulsifier

A less-refined form of carrageenan from eucheuma seaweed. Shares the same gut-inflammation concerns and is covered by the same temporary EFSA acceptable daily intake.

Emulsifier

An emulsifier used almost exclusively in chocolate, as a cheaper substitute for cocoa butter and lecithin. Yuka moved it to red in 07/2025 over the phosphate load it adds — high phosphate intake is linked to kidney and cardiovascular strain.

Emulsifier

A processed-cheese and meat-product stabiliser that smooths texture and binds water. Heavy daily intake of added phosphates strains kidneys and accelerates vascular calcification.

Emulsifier

An emulsifier and water-binder in processed cheese, sausages, and seafood. It adds to a total phosphate intake that EFSA found already exceeds the safe daily limit for many children, and that is linked to kidney and cardiovascular harm.

Emulsifier

Chains of phosphate units used to bind water in processed meats and seafood. They push up a total phosphate intake that EFSA found already exceeds the safe daily limit for many children, and that is linked to kidney strain and vascular calcification.

Thickener

A modified cellulose emulsifier and thickener, also called cellulose gum. In a 2022 randomised human feeding trial it disturbed the gut microbiome and cut microbial diversity in healthy adults after 11 days.

Texture Agent

A cross-linked cellulose gum. Yuka moved the carboxymethylcellulose family to red in 05/2025: animal and human pilot studies link CMC-type emulsifiers to gut-microbiome disruption and intestinal inflammation.

Texture Agent

A hydrolysed cellulose gum. Yuka moved the carboxymethylcellulose family to red in 05/2025 over gut-microbiome and intestinal-inflammation findings.

Emulsifier

The most-used emulsifier in baked goods, margarine, and ice cream. Can carry trans fats when made from hydrogenated oils. Animal studies suggest microbiome effects at higher intake.

Emulsifier

A synthetic emulsifier. Yuka moved it from green straight to red in 05/2025 — ethoxylation can leave 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide residues, both of which are classified carcinogens.

Anti-caking

An anti-caking agent made from ground animal bone. Rated with the other phosphates: high phosphate intake across a modern diet is linked to kidney strain and cardiovascular risk, and the additive load is on top of what food naturally contains.

Anti-caking agent

An anti-caking agent in powders, salt, and supplements. EFSA flagged data gaps around nanoparticle content in 2018 and could not establish a safe intake for infants.

Flavor enhancer

The free amino acid form of glutamate, the same molecule as MSG. EFSA's 2017 re-evaluation set a group safe limit of 30 mg per kg of body weight and found that European intake exceeds it for most population groups once natural sources are counted alongside the additive.

Flavor enhancer

MSG, the classic umami enhancer. EFSA's 2017 re-evaluation set a group safe limit of 30 mg per kg of body weight and found European intake exceeds it for most groups — and for high-consuming children exceeds doses linked to adverse effects in human studies. The exceedance is the reason, not the old 'MSG sensitivity' folklore.

Sweetener

A synthetic sweetener in diet drinks and sugar-free products. EFSA re-reviewed it in 2025 and found no cancer or genotoxicity concern, but the WHO advises against using sweeteners like this for weight control, and gut-microbiome effects are still an open question.

Sweetener

A low-calorie sweetener in diet sodas and sugar-free products. In 2023 the WHO's cancer agency (IARC) classified it as possibly carcinogenic to humans, while the WHO's own additives committee reviewed the same evidence and kept its daily limit unchanged. Two arms of the same body disagree.

Sweetener

A zero-calorie sweetener made by chlorinating sugar. A 2022 randomized trial found it altered gut bacteria and impaired blood-sugar response in healthy adults, a manufacturing impurity has flagged DNA-damage signals, and EFSA itself declined in 2026 to clear it for baking because it can break down at high heat.

Sweetener

A co-crystal combining aspartame and acesulfame K in one molecule. Carries the same IARC Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic) concern that applies to aspartame.