Sweeteners
Sweet without being table sugar. Intense sweeteners and sugar alcohols sweeten with little or no sugar.
On labels: sucralose, aspartame, stevia, sorbitol.
Paste a label.See every additive.
Emulsifiers, sweeteners, colours and more, highlighted in plain English
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Your label, highlighted
Keep your result card
A picture of this scan, ready to send to a friend or keep for your next shop.
Take it to the shop: the free fridge-door label checklist
One page with NOVA groups in plain words, eight giveaway ingredient groups to tick, and simple swap lines.
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The additive families in plain words
Additives are ingredients added for a job: texture, taste, colour, shelf life. The scanner groups what it finds into these eleven families.
Sugars by other names
Still sugar, just under another name. Words ending in -ose and anything called syrup are good clues.
On labels: dextrose, maltodextrin, glucose syrup.
Emulsifiers
Keep oil and water mixed so the texture stays smooth and creamy.
On labels: lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, polysorbate.
Thickeners and gums
Add body, hold shape or stop ingredients from separating.
On labels: xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, pectin.
Colours
Change or keep up the way food looks.
On labels: caramel colour, tartrazine, annatto.
Flavours and enhancers
Add taste or make the taste that is already there stronger.
On labels: natural flavour, MSG, yeast extract.
Preservatives
Slow spoilage so food keeps for longer.
On labels: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, nitrite.
Antioxidants
Stop fats, colours and flavours from going off.
On labels: ascorbic acid, tocopherols, BHA, rosemary extract.
Acids and acidity regulators
Tune the sourness and keep acidity steady.
On labels: citric acid, lactic acid, sodium citrate.
Anti-caking, glazing and bulking
Keep powders flowing, add shine, hold moisture or add bulk.
On labels: silicon dioxide, glycerol, glazing agent, polydextrose.
Extracted or reworked ingredients
Split apart or reworked in a factory rather than used whole.
On labels: protein isolate, modified starch, hydrogenated oil.
Scan my own label
Paste a list and see which families show up.
How the scan reads a label
- Split. The list is cut at commas, semicolons, colons and brackets, and percentages are ignored.
- Match. Each ingredient is compared with common additive names and E-number ranges.
- Highlight. Matches are marked on your label and numbered by family.
- Explain. Each family gets one plain-English note on what it is used for.
Ingredients are listed from most to least, so an additive near the start makes up more of the food than one near the end.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an additive?
An additive is an ingredient added to a food for a technical job, such as keeping its texture, adding colour, sweetening it or helping it last longer. On a label it may appear by name or as an E-number.
Does an additive mean a food is unhealthy?
No. The scanner shows what is in the list and what each family is for. Plenty of additives are familiar kitchen ingredients such as citric acid or pectin, so the list is a starting point for reading, not a rating.
What do E-numbers mean?
E-numbers are codes for additives approved for use in food in the EU and UK. The first digit points to the job: 1 for colours, 2 for preservatives, 3 for antioxidants and acids, 4 for thickeners and emulsifiers, 5 for acidity regulators and anti-caking agents, 6 for flavour enhancers and 9 for glazing agents and sweeteners.
Is the label I paste saved anywhere?
No. The scan runs in your browser and the text you paste stays on your device. The result card is drawn on your screen and saved straight to your downloads.
Why was an ingredient not highlighted?
The scanner matches common additive names and E-number ranges. Whole foods, spices and less common ingredients are left unmarked, so an unmarked item is simply not on the list of additive names.