Ingredient index

The main source of artificial trans fat. The FDA pulled its GRAS status in 2015 and it is no longer permitted in US food.

A dough conditioner classified by IARC as possibly carcinogenic to humans and banned in the EU, UK and Canada.

A citrus-soda emulsifier whose US food authorization the FDA revoked in 2024.

A synthetic dye the FDA de-authorized for food in January 2025 after thyroid tumours in rats.

Concentrated added sugar. WHO recommends free sugars stay under 10% of energy, ideally under 5%.

A whitening agent the EU banned in food in 2022 after EFSA could not rule out genotoxicity.

A dough conditioner banned in the EU and Australia; also used to make foamed plastics.

Refined glucose syrup — added sugar under a name that does not read like sugar.

The curing agent that defines processed meat, which IARC classifies as a Group 1 carcinogen.

A synthetic antioxidant the US National Toxicology Program lists as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

A preservative the EU removed from its permitted food-additive list over endocrine concerns.

A petroleum-derived dye that carries a mandatory child-attention warning label in the EU.

Synthetic dye with the same EU child-attention warning as Red 40, plus documented hypersensitivity reactions.

Petroleum-derived dye covered by the EU's child-attention warning requirement.

Marketed as natural, but it is a refined syrup higher in fructose than table sugar.

A processed starch with a glycaemic index that can exceed table sugar, used as bulk and texture.

Added sugar is added sugar. Organic and 'cane juice' versions are the same molecule.

Synthetic antioxidant capped at a strict legal maximum, common in fried snacks and instant noodles.

Synthetic dye with a cleaner safety record than the azo dyes, but still purely cosmetic.

Ammonia-process caramel colours can carry 4-MEI, which California lists under Proposition 65.

High in saturated fat and the single biggest driver of tropical deforestation in food supply chains.

IARC classified it as possibly carcinogenic (Group 2B) in 2023 while JECFA kept the existing safe daily intake.

Synthetic emulsifier with emerging evidence of gut microbiome and barrier effects.

Fine on its own, but with added vitamin C in a drink it can form benzene.

Common blending sweetener; same WHO caveat as the rest of the category.

Same opacity problem as natural flavors, and a reliable marker of ultra-processing.

BHA's close relative, with a less alarming toxicology record but the same 'why is this here' problem.

Thickener and stabiliser from the same emerging-evidence family as polysorbate 80.

Refined grain with a handful of vitamins added back after stripping the bran and germ.

The tartness in dark colas; strongly erosive to tooth enamel.

Widely permitted, but WHO advises against non-sugar sweeteners as a weight-control strategy.

Seaweed-derived thickener; EFSA re-evaluated it and flagged gaps, particularly for infants.

Chemically or physically altered starch. Low toxicity concern, high processing signal.

A legal catch-all that can hide dozens of undisclosed compounds behind two words.

Over 80% saturated fat, and it raises LDL like other saturated fats.

Still added sugar, with trace compounds that do not change that.

Necessary, and almost everyone eats far too much of it.

Sugar alcohol with an unresolved cardiovascular signal in recent observational work.

Refined, cheap, everywhere. Not harmful in itself; a marker of formulated food.

Well characterised; the issue is added caffeine in products that do not read as caffeinated.

Repeatedly cleared by safety reviews; the real note is that it comes with sodium.

Common emulsifier with a long, unremarkable safety record.

Plant-derived and well tolerated, but WHO's non-sugar-sweetener advice still applies.

A whole, minimally processed fat that is nonetheless mostly saturated.

One of the better-behaved preservatives — low toxicity and a clean review record.

Favourable fatty-acid profile for a cheap refined oil.

Fermentation-derived thickener; behaves like soluble fibre.

Ubiquitous, benign acidulant — now made by fermentation rather than from citrus.

Whole food, good protein and calcium; saturated fat depends on the fat level.

Vitamin C, used as both a nutrient and an antioxidant preservative.

Flavanol-rich and minimally processed, with a well-documented labour problem upstream.

Water.

Bran and germ intact — fibre, minerals and a slower glycaemic response.

Complete protein, choline, minimally processed.

Whole vegetable.

Whole vegetable.

Whole grain, high in beta-glucan fibre, minimally processed.

Whole vegetable; paste and puree keep most of the lycopene.

Whole nut — unsaturated fat, fibre, vitamin E.

One of the best-evidenced fats in the diet, especially unrefined.

Fibre, plant protein, minimally processed.