Is there beetle shellac in my food?

Read the label on any packaged food from your local supermarket and you’re likely to find ingredients that your grandmother never would have used. Food additives are ubiquitous, but most of us have no idea how to interpret food labels to avoid the worst ones, and stop worrying about those that are harmless.

Now a new book called “Ingredients,” by Steve Ettlinger with photographs by Dwight Eschliman, uncovers the hidden science behind 75 of the most common food additives, according to a National Public Radio story.

The book categorizes additives as “neutral,” “positive” or “negative,” depending on their potential to cause health problems. The authors say they specifically looked for examples from each category, to insure that some healthful additives like beta carotene, a vitamin A precursor, were included.

But “Ingredients” does not shy away from explaining unhealthy additives. Sodium benzoate, for example, was once used widely in colas, but when the Food and Drug Administration warned that it could combine in soda with ascorbic acid to form the cancer-causing chemical benzene, Coke and Pepsi eliminated the additive from their products.

“Ingredients” also clears up some misconceptions about certain food additives. While many people have reported problems from monosodium glutamate, often used in Chinese foods, the author’s research found no definitive science on health risks from the seasoning.