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20 articles on what is really in packaged food: insect additives, E-numbers, allergens, halal and vegan label reading, and the claims that do not mean what they look like.
Insect ingredients
Is E120 vegan or halal? What carmine really is
E120 is carmine, a red dye made from crushed cochineal insects. Not vegan, not vegetarian, and haram under IFANCA, JAKIM, MUI and ESMA. Here is where it hides.
Insect ingredientsWhat is E904 shellac, and why is it on your sweets?
E904 shellac is resin from the lac bug, used to glaze sweets, chocolate and apples. It also hides behind confectioner’s glaze and "natural glaze".
Insect ingredientsIs beeswax (E901) vegan?
Beeswax (E901) is an animal product and is not vegan. It glazes sweets, coats fruit and appears in supplements. Carnauba wax is the plant alternative.
Insect ingredientsEvery insect-derived E-number, and where it appears
The complete list of E-numbers that come from insects: E120 carmine, E901 beeswax, E904 shellac, E236–E238 formates. Every alias and where each is used.
Insect ingredientsCricket flour on food labels: the 12 names to watch for
Cricket and mealworm ingredients are usually labelled by Latin species name, not "cricket flour". Every name they legally appear under, and how to spot them.
Insect ingredientsWhich insects are legally approved in EU food?
Four insect species are authorised as novel foods in the EU: yellow mealworm, migratory locust, house cricket and lesser mealworm. What each is approved for.
Insect ingredientsWhich everyday foods can legally contain cricket powder?
House cricket powder is authorised in the EU for bread, biscuits, pasta, pizza, snacks, sauces, chocolate and more. The full category list, and how to check.
Insect ingredientsHow to spot insect ingredients on a food label in 10 seconds
A practical method for finding insect-derived ingredients on any label: the three codes to scan for, the aliases that hide them, and where to look first.
Additives
Which E-numbers to avoid, and which are fine
Not all E-numbers are bad. Here are the ones with real regulatory or evidential grounds for concern, the ones that are harmless, and how to tell them apart.
AdditivesIs MSG (E621) bad for you?
MSG has one of the worst reputations in food and one of the weakest evidence bases behind it. What the controlled trials found, and where the reputation came from.
AdditivesThe food dyes that carry a legal warning label
Six azo dyes must carry a warning in the EU that they may affect activity and attention in children. Which ones, why, and how EU and US rules diverge.
Halal
Is E471 halal? The most ambiguous additive on the label
E471 can be made from plant oil or animal fat including pork, and labels are not required to say which. Why most scholars treat it as mushbooh, and how to check.
HalalIs gelatin (E441) pork or beef?
Gelatin comes from pig or cattle hide and bone, and labels rarely say which. Where it hides, what the alternatives are, and how to find out the source.
HalalHalal E-number guide: which additives are halal, haram or mushbooh
A reference for the E-numbers that matter for halal diets: which are clearly haram, which are doubtful, and which are fine. Plus how to resolve the doubtful ones.
Nutrition
How much sugar is really in your everyday snacks?
Sugar per 100g varies more within a category than between categories. How to read it, the aliases that disguise it, and which swaps make the biggest difference.
NutritionHow to spot ultra-processed food from the label
The NOVA classification, the marker ingredients that give UPF away, and why "processed" and "ultra-processed" are not the same thing.
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