Shopping was easy when most food came from farms. Now, factory-made foods have made chemical additives a significant part of our diet. This is a easy to understand format and worth a look and print out.

CSPI has classified the Food Additives into the following groups:

• Safe
• Caution
• Cut Back
• Certain People Should Avoid
• Avoid
• Banned

Click here to print his chart

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a consumer advocacy organization whose twin missions are to conduct innovative research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition, and to provide consumers with current, useful information about their health and well-being.

In general, CSPI's three main goals are:

Acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP, is produced by boiling cereals or legumes, such as soy, corn, or wheat, in hydrochloric acid and then neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide. The acid hydrolyzes, or breaks down, the protein in vegetables into their component amino acids. The resulting dark coloured liquid contains, among other amino acids, glutamic acid, which consumers are more familiar with in the form of its sodium salt, monosodium glutamate, or MSG.