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How we research additives

Every additive entry on this site is researched and written by a person, from primary sources, and checked before it goes live. Here is how, so you can judge it for yourself.

Where the information comes from

Primary sources, on every claim

I read the bodies that publish the science and write the regulations, and I link back to them so you can check the original. These are the sources behind the entries:

EFSA

European Food Safety Authority opinions and re-evaluations of each additive.

Food Standards Agency

UK approvals, labelling rules and required warnings.

WHO and IARC

Cancer classifications and international safety assessments.

NHS and SACN

UK health guidance and nutrition advice.

CoFID and California OEHHA

UK food composition data, and Proposition 65 where it applies.

How each entry is made

Read, cross-check, write, check again

Read the source

I go to the primary document, not someone's summary of it.

Check a second source

Any real concern is corroborated against a second body before it goes on the page.

Write it by hand

I write each entry myself and check it against its source. None of it is auto-generated.

Put it in plain English

I turn the regulator's wording into a sentence you can read in seconds, keeping what the source said.

Keeping it current

Dated, and corrected when the science moves

Research gets published and regulators change their position. Every additive page carries a "last reviewed" date, so you can see when I last checked it against the source. If you spot something out of date, or you have new research, send it to contact@nutrasafe.co.uk and I will look at it.

What we won't do

The lines we hold

I won't call an additive safe, and I won't grade brands to sell them a badge. Where the science is unsettled, I say so. Where a regulator has flagged something, I lead with what they said and link the source.

This site is a guide, not medical advice. If an additive affects you, speak to your GP or a dietitian.

Aaron Keen

Aaron Keen is the founder of NutraSafe and writes every additive entry himself. About the author →

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