Bruegel, Martin

The price of progress: chemical additives and the industrialisation of food production - 2023.


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As mechanization and automation accelerated food production in the 19th century, the invention of chemical food additives (preservatives, flavors, colors, emulsifiers, etc.) made it possible to correct the alterations inflicted on foodstuffs by industrial processing, and to devise new comestibles (ready-made meals, baby formula, etc.). The practice gave rise to a great deal of controversy whose aim was to establish socially acceptable but often temporary legal norms to safeguard consumer health while protecting the interests of industry.