Those long, unpronounceable ingredients at the bottom of food labels—what are they really doing to your health?

In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Marion Nestle, a world-leading nutrition expert and author of the groundbreaking book ‘Food Politics’. Marion has spent decades exposing how powerful food companies influence what ends up on our plates — and how little regulation may stand in their way.

We dive into the hidden world of food additives and the regulatory systems meant to protect us. While the U.S. allows companies to self-certify ingredients as “safe” without independent FDA approval, Europe and the UK take a stricter approach. But does stricter always mean safer?

Marion unpacks how these systems differ, which substances might be harming our health, and what consumers can do to reduce their risk. We explore what the science says about additives, inflammation, gut health, and more.

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Timecodes:

00:00 Are common food additives tested for safety?

02:44 The shocking number of additives in a simple loaf of bread

04:14 The real reason your bread is so soft

05:55 The loophole that allows 10,000 additives into our food

07:24 How companies get to approve their own additives

08:46 Why it's so hard to prove an additive is harmful

10:27 The concerning difference between US and European food regulations

12:30 When the FDA revoked an additive's "safe" status

14:23 You won't believe where this common food dye comes from

15:36 A study linking food dyes to behavioral problems in children

18:59 Are the thousands of other food additives safe to eat?

22:51 Why we can't trust food companies to police themselves

26:45 The US state that just banned 44 common additives

28:52 Why food companies say they can't get rid of artificial colors

31:42 The hidden additives you'll never see on a food label

34:21 The surprising reason farmers use antibiotics to fatten animals

36:16 Why your chicken is probably contaminated

40:39 The hidden health and environmental costs of cheap food

43:51 How food companies use the "pester factor" to market to your kids

47:56 The one regulation that would fix our broken food system

51:36 The simple 7-word rule for a healthy diet

55:13 The childhood discovery that shaped my diet for life

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

Navigating the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (2011)

Oral administration of potassium bromate induces neurobehavioral changes, alters cerebral neurotransmitters level and impairs brain tissue of swiss mice Behavioural and Brain Functions (2016)

Safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive EFSA Journal (2021)

Food Dyes a Rainbow of Risks Center For Science in the Public Intrest (2010)

Health risk assessment of exposure to ractopamine through consumption of meat products International Journal of Advanced Research (2014)

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Episode transcripts are available here.