Food additives are an integral part of the modern food system, but opinion polls showing most Europeans have worries about them imply an urgent need for ethical analysis of their use.The existing literature on food ethics, safety assessment and animal testing.Food additives provide certain advantages in terms of many people's lifestyles.There are disagreements about the appropriate application of the precautionary principle and of the value and ethical validity of animal tests in assessing human safety.Most consumers have a poor understanding of the relative benefits and risks of additives, but concerns over food safety and animal testing remain high.Examining the impacts of food additives on consumer sovereignty, consumer health and on animals used in safety testing should allow a more informed debate about their appropriate uses.