If you go to the supermarket, you will find them on almost every label: Additives. They are called emulsifiers, stabilisers, colourings, preservatives or flavourings. Sometimes they are clearly recognisable, for example through E-numbers. However, they are often hidden behind flowery-sounding terms such as "real carmine" or "caramelised sugar". Additives in food - they have long since ended up on the plates of a large proportion of people on a daily basis.
But what is really behind it all? Why does the food industry use additives in the first place - and why do we choose additives when we eat out? bleibwacker deliberately against it?
Why the industry loves additives in food
Additives fulfil clear purposes in industrial food production. They ensure that products:
- have a longer shelf life
- can be processed more easily
- have a consistent colour, consistency and a familiar taste
- can be produced more cheaply by replacing or stretching more expensive ingredients
Example: With the help of fillers, a sauce can be made more voluminous without using more real ingredients. Flavour enhancers ensure that a product tastes more intense - even if it contains hardly any high-quality ingredients. And colourings make food more attractive and suggest freshness or fruitiness where there is actually little of it.
In short: additives in food help with sales. In the vast majority of cases, however, they are not necessary for nutritional physiology.
The scam on the labels
Many people today want to consciously avoid additives in food. This is why manufacturers are increasingly trying to make their products appear "cleaner". Labels then carry information such as:
- "Without preservatives"
- "Without artificial colourings"
- "Without flavour enhancers"
However, this often only means that a certain additive has been omitted - others remain. Instead, there are thickeners, flavourings, colour substitutes or technical additives that do not have to be declared.
Real transparency for consumers? Unfortunately not.
E-numbers: Additives well hidden in foodstuffs
Because E-numbers always attract negative public attention, many manufacturers resort to a simple tactic:
They do not write out the E number, but use the full name instead.
This is how E120 for example, "true carmine" - a red colouring extracted from scale insects.
Or from E150a becomes simply "caramel". This sounds more natural, more familiar - but is ultimately exactly the same.
For many consumers, it looks as if the product is free from additives. But in fact, it's just a labelling trick that disguises what's really inside.
Are additives in food harmful?
The additives authorised in food in Europe have been tested for safety - that is true. However, many of these authorisations date back to the 1980s. Scientific standards and findings have developed significantly since then.
The colourant titanium dioxide (E171) was used for decades, although its effect on the body was never fully clarified. Since 2022, it has no longer been authorised for use in food in the EU - the data on possible carcinogenic effects is too uncertain.
And this is not an isolated case. Time and again, new studies show that certain additives in food may have an impact on the microbiome, the immune system, hormone balance or even the risk of cancer. Possible links with ADHD or allergies are also being discussed - although many connections have not yet been conclusively proven.
Current research: The price of highly processed food
A long-term study by the US National Cancer Institute is particularly alarming:
Over 500,000 participants were followed over a period of 30 years. The result: people who permanently consumed a high proportion of highly processed foods had a significantly higher risk of dying. According to the study, they could die on average up to 12 years earlier than people who eat a predominantly fresh and unprocessed diet.
The study does not say that all additives in food are dangerous. But it does show that a permanently highly processed diet has its price - and not just at the supermarket checkout.
So what is the solution?
The best option would be to cook it yourself, buy it fresh, process it and enjoy it.
But this is not always feasible in everyday life.
Appointments, meetings, children, to-dos. Many people's everyday lives are tightly scheduled. Time for shopping and cooking often falls by the wayside.
And this is exactly where we come in.
💚 How bleibwacker does it differently
At bleibwacker, we develop real food for real people in real everyday life. Our products are:
- Completely free from additives
- organic, vegan and natural
- full of real ingredients - nothing you can't pronounce
Whether it's breakfast porridge, spreads or protein chilli: we only put in what really belongs in there. No tricks on the label, no flavourings made from wood or bacteria, no artificial colours - just honest food. Full stop.
Conclusion: More clarity = better decisions
Additives in food are not automatically bad. But they are also not harmless as a matter of course. And above all, they are often not what consumers expect.
We believe that you have the right to know what's in your food - and what's not.
Because only those who are well informed can make self-determined decisions.
If you want to avoid additives, you don't have to bend over backwards - you just need honest products. And that's exactly what we stand for at bleibwacker.
Not yet familiar with our products? Then our bleibwacker introductory package is just right for you. Here you can familiarise yourself with our wide range and feast your way through our products at your leisure.
Sources:
- EFSA: Food additives
- IFT: A Review on the Relationships between Processing, Food Structure, and Rheological Properties of Plant-Tissue-Based Food Suspensions
- EHP Publishing: Diet and Nutrition
- EFSA: Titanium dioxide
- thebmj: Association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and all cause mortality:
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