Preservatives in Ultraprocessed Food Linked to Rising Cancer and Diabetes Rates
did:plc:yhmwewfk3g3hhkrw2gf4ypna
February 19, 2026
STORY AT-A-GLANCE Before refrigeration, humans preserved food through drying, fermenting, curing, and pickling. These methods helped extend food availability without synthetic chemicals Industrialization drove the use of chemical preservatives like nitrites, sulfites, and sodium benzoate, enabling mass distribution while dramatically increasing synthetic additives in the modern food supply U.S. food regulations allow hundreds of additives […]
Discussion in the ATmosphere