Are food preservatives bad for you?

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Are food preservatives bad for you?

Food doesn’t last. In days, sometimes hours, bread goes moldy, apple slices turn brown, and bacteria multiply in mayonnaise. But you can find all of these foods out on the shelf at the grocery store — hopefully unspoiled -- thanks to preservatives. But what exactly are preservatives? How do they help keep food edible? And are they safe? Eleanor Nelsen investigates.

Credits:

educator: Eleanor Nelsen

art director, animator: Dmitry Yagodin

narrator: Addison Anderson

sound design, original music: Samuel Pocreau

producers: Gerta Xhelo (TED-Ed), Vessela Dantcheva (Compote Collective)