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We’ve just completed a 12-month review of every additive and preservative in the Supermarket Swap App
After 12 months of research, reading, reviewing and rechecking, our full additive database has just been updated using the latest research thanks to the incredible work of Accredited Practising Dietitian Emma Landorf.
This wasn’t just a quick check. It was a deep dive into every single additive in our app with a clear goal in mind - to ensure Supermarket Swap can share the most accurate, up-to-date science available today.
Why this matters
At Supermarket Swap, we’re here to help you make more informed choices without the overwhelm. But in a world where food labels can be confusing and additives are often buried in fine print, knowing what’s really in your food matters more than ever.
And with science and research always changing, we thought it was time to review all our data to ensure you can access the latest information.
So we bought in our expert, Emma to review everything. She went back to the latest studies and journal articles and spent time on every single entry to ensure it was accurate.
More about Emma Landorf
Emma Landorf is an Accredited Practising Paediatric Dietitian with over 17 years of experience helping children and families improve their health through nutrition. She currently works as the Senior Paediatric Dietitian and Clinical Lead at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide and teaches future dietitian's at Flinders University. Emma has a strong research focus and is the Head of Research at Supermarket Swap.
Emma’s areas of expertise include:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Liver disease
- Food allergies and intolerances
- Functional gut disorders
- Therapeutic diets for Crohn’s disease
She’s also part of several national expert groups, including the AuSPEN Paediatric Committee and is passionate about empowering families to understand how food impacts health. Emma brings all that passion and knowledge to her work at Supermarket Swap.
What the review involved
This was not a small task. Over 12 months, Emma meticulously reevaluated every single food additive listed in the app. She reviewed our references, ensuring they took into account the latest studies and journal articles. Emma looked at every single one, from preservatives and sweeteners to emulsifiers, colours and flavour enhancers.
For each additive, Emma assessed:
- What it is and how it’s used
- What the latest scientific research says
- Whether our current grading and references needed to be updated
Many additives stayed the same. But some changed (either due to new research findings or more conclusive evidence around their health impacts). All of these changes are now live in the App.
What sources were used?
This review was grounded in evidence. Emma drew from peer-reviewed scientific journals, international food safety authorities and respected health organisations. Some sources include:
- Journals including Food and Chemical Toxicology, Advances in Nutrition, The Lancet Oncology, PLOS Medicine just to name a new
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
- The World Health Organization (WHO)
- Plus a range of systematic reviews and assessments from global sources
This gave Emma a clear picture of which additives are considered low risk, which are better avoided in excess, and which she believes are best avoided altogether.
So, what’s changed?
You might notice some small shifts in the app as a few additives have had their grades upgraded or downgraded. Others have had their descriptions expanded to include updated evidence or new ADI guidelines.
These changes are all about giving you the clearest, most accurate information to help you decide what goes into your trolley.
What’s next?
This additive review is just the beginning.
We’ll continue to monitor new research and update our data regularly and we’ll keep working with experts like Emma to make sure Supermarket Swap remains the most trusted additive resource available to Australian shoppers.
So next time you're scanning additives in the app, you can be confident that our data is backed by the latest science.
