When filling a shopping basket, you might well expect your items to be free of possibly harmful ingredients. But American groceries often contain added substances that are more tightly regulated – or simply banned – in other countries.

Food in the US, in contrast to Europe, can be made with new chemicals that haven’t passed a government safety evaluation. As a result, Americans may consume over 10,000 additives, thousands of which have been introduced without the government’s knowledge. The FDA and EPA defend the chemicals in our food as safe or safe in limited amounts. But the system also assumes that consumers have enough information to make their own decisions.

Find out what additives, pesticides and antibiotics you could be buying – and how you might avoid them.