Additive Alert! What Have They Done to Our Food?: A Consumer's Action Guide. 4th ed.

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

This fourth edition of Pollution Probe’s consumers’ guide to food
additives incorporates changes that have occurred in both the
marketplace and government regulation since the 1986 edition. Each
chapter deals with a different class of additive (e.g., colors,
preservatives, and flavors), while issues related to each class are
introduced in a readable overview. Inset boxes highlight additives or
issues that are of particular concern. Tables supply detailed
information about specific additives.

Unlike earlier editions, this volume deals with such unintentional food
additives as pesticide residues and antibiotics and hormones. There are
also chapters on packaging, labeling, and food irradiation. Another
chapter deals with avoiding additives when dining out; unfortunately,
much of this information relates only to some of the better-known
fast-food chains.

For the consumer who is concerned about the additives in food, this
volume is an essential acquisition. It should be included in the
reference collections of all public libraries. Although written for the
layperson, it is detailed enough to be a useful reference tool in
college and undergraduate library collections.