Dr Stephen Onakuse, senior lecturer in the Department of Food Business & Development at the University College Cork, explores the history of food substitutions, industry factors, and associated health risks.
Humanity’s food systems are becoming more fragile, and incredibly different to how they were structured a century ago. Increasing chemical intervention in food in the name of processing, mass production, and value addition, to meet the ever-increasing world population demands, has raised more questions than answers.
Not too long ago before the development of agro-chemicals and additives in food processing, humans sourced most of their food directly from farm source. For example, milk from a local farmer, with cows raised from grass-fed dairy and beef. Fruits and vegetables from backyard gardens and orchards. There were no labels, brands, no chemicals, no patent rights- and profit margins were never the push factor.
Our ancestors did what they always do to make sure the food produced and consumed were in their natural state. The green revolution brought about the dark sides of agricultural capitalism, which led to many of our food being processed by food industries that are overly profit-focused.
The discovery of petrochemicals in 1945, was the beginning of how fossil fuels changed the entire food systems with the introduction of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides synthesised directly from petroleum or natural gas derivatives, which is why the entire food system continue to undergo dramatic changes through different food production innovations.
We must also consider the impact of farming practices such as monoculture. This is the method of growing only one type of crop on the same piece of land, often over large areas and for multiple growing seasons and is the predominant strategy to increase production output to meet the gargantuan needs of the food processing industry. This strategy is enabled by farm mechanisation, which supports the use of agro-chemicals to deal with the unique problems associated with monoculture. For example, Grimmway Farms controls roughly 65% of all carrots produced and sold in America because they practice monoculture, which gives them competitive advantage and economies of scale.
Some of the chemicals used at pre- and post-planting operations as part of monoculture/mechanised practices includes the use of:
- Pesticides, designed to kill insects by destroying their nervous systems
- Herbicides, designed to kill or control unwanted plants(such as weeds) and function in a variety of ways, such as mimicking natural plant hormones like auxins to cause uncontrolled growth of the plant or halt production of important proteins and amino acids, stunting the plant’s ability to heal or grow and leading to death.
Global food demand has fuelled a perfect delivery system for agro-chemicals to be deployed in production, preservation and processing – fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and emulsifiers along production, processing and distribution lines. The pesticides that accompany this intensification are indicative of the environmental and public health problems and the dependence of agricultural practices on these inputs.
A recent French study in the journal PLOS Medicine examined the impact of emulsifiers, food additives used to improve texture and extend shelf life, on health. The researchers analysed data from 92,000 adults over nearly seven years and found that certain emulsifiers significantly increased cancer risk.
The study provided examples of Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471), found in processed baked goods, margarine, and ice cream, were linked to a 15% higher risk of overall cancer, a 24% higher risk of breast cancer and a 46% higher risk of prostate cancer. Carrageenan (a seaweed extract) (E407 & E407a), a thickening agent in dairy alternatives, deli meats, and plant-based products, was linked to a 32% higher risk of breast cancer.
The cancer signal identified on the PLOS Medicine data are assumed to emanate from downstream sustained Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) driven NF-kB activation, which upregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines and creates a permissive environment for aberrant cell proliferation. For example, Carrageenan has the same gut permeability mechanism, independent of its role as a thickening agent. The practical implication is that the risk isn’t in a single exposure. It’s in the cumulative barrier disruption from years of daily low-level intake.
However, consumers’ food production and processing understanding are very minimal. especially with The use of synthetic additives, dosage, frequency, food matrix, processing, and overall the dietary patterns of every product are not within the understanding of an ordinary consumer.
Therefore, helping consumers to understand what’s in their food is an important part of giving them better choices. The most important question isn’t which additive humans should not consume, but how often ultra-processed foods replace real food in our daily lives.
Many studies have underscored critical reality checks, that food additives like emulsifiers could fundamentally disrupt human internal biological infrastructures. These compounds are not considered as biologically inert. Some of these studies argue that emulsifiers act like detergents within the gastrointestinal tract, systematically stripping away the protective mucous layer of the gut lining. This compromises intestinal permeability, allowing inflammatory particles to leak directly into the bloodstream and trigger chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation over a multi-years period. This sustained cellular stress and immune dysfunction create the exact physiological baseline where oncogenesis thrives.
The broken food system
Savings on production cost have changed the nature in which food companies produce and process. The world’s food system is considered broken because it struggles to provide everyone with affordable, nutritious food while also causing environmental damage, food waste, and unfair conditions for farmers and workers. Consumer’s ability to choose, know the nutritional composition of the food we consume through an informed choice must align with our knowledge about the plant protection substances used during production and the decision-making chain, between and within health expertise, public authorisations, and economic interests.
However, the combined use and impact of pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers and food additives have never been tested over a lifetime together to ascertain whether there are cumulative effects on humans.
For example, what does a typical consumer understand with the different terminologies used to communicate with the consumer about the true nature of the ingredients used. Terminologies such as “animal-free egg white protein”, “egg white protein from yeast” “cultivated”, “cell-cultured”, “cell-based”, precision-fermented” or “flora-based” present clarity, yet can further muddy the waters.
Which came first: the chicken, the egg or the animal-free white protein?
There is a high level of substitution in modern food ingredients, with milk chocolate being replaced with “chocolate candy”, “peanut crème” replacing peanut butter and “animal-free white protein” replacing egg.
The profit drive for large-scale producers has made the use of different chemicals key for cheap food production and processing, which equals to more consumption, more profit, while ignoring the associated health risks of ultra-processed foods. In the US, lab grown eggs (precision-fermented egg proteins) are increasingly sold and used as ingredients in commercial baked goods, protein bars, and beverages without a specific GMO or bioengineered disclosure. This is possible because the FDA classify lab grown eggs as purified protein, which contains no detectable modified DNA, hence it falls under Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS).
And the industry has followed. Zen Waffles announced on September 9, 2026 that it will use Onego Bio’s Bioalbumen®, a precision-fermented egg-white protein, in its high-protein waffles.
Healthier Comforts, which sells an Animal-Free Egg White Protein powder made from OvoPro™, launched in March 2026 for home consumers.
Pressed partnered with EVERY on a green smoothie containing fermentation-derived egg protein. Pulp Culture also used EVERY’s fermentation-derived egg protein in a protein-enhanced beverage and Eleven Madison Park served dishes made with EVERY’s animal-free egg proteins.
Laboratory grown or precision-fermented egg proteins (such as ovalbumin produced via yeast or fungal fermentation) offer a bioidentical protein match to real chicken egg whites, but they do not replicate a whole natural egg.
How many people remember what real food tastes like?
Agricultural capitalism has become the new religion for many large scale producers and processors, which bear many similarities in their production systems as private equity control every actor on the food system. Prices go up and quality goes down. When private equity-backed companies grows two-thirds of the world food crops with no meaningful competition and no real public accountability, it beholds on consumers to question what is used in producing and processing their food.
Food culture is not always in the farm or food processing factory buildings. A study by the Ghana Standards Authority tested a small sample of cabbage and okra from the Agbogbloshie and Madina markets in Accra. Every cabbage sample tested failed to meet safe pesticide residue limits. The pesticides identified were Acetamiprid and Carbendazim, which are not banned outright, but the problem is often how they’re used: wrong dosages, or harvesting too soon after application.
Agricultural consolidation in the name of combating food and nutrition security has become the food production and processing strategy for many companies. Innovation comes with a price, and transparency should be part of it.
Consumers’ food choice awareness
How do we bring awareness of these critical food issues along production and processing to consumers to better inform their food choice decisions? The rationale behind using mono and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471), which are a naturally occurring class of food additive used as emulsifier in foods, specifically is worth further investigation. These fatty acids disrupt the mucus layer that lines the gut epithelium. When that barrier degrades, lipopolysaccharide from gram-negative bacteria translocate into circulation, driving a chronic low-grade inflammatory state in humans.
The United State Centre for Diseases Control states that around 48 million cases of food poisoning happen every year in the US, resulting to 128,000 hospitalisations and 3,000 deaths annually. This calls for the involvement of local farmers to be included in production and processing strategy- without necessarily separating food as organic or inorganic, which are premium priced focused.
Another important nuance to note around consumer understanding of the content of processed food, is that there are no tight junctions designed to tolerate food-grade detergents at every meal. Additionally, many of the processed food on our shelves undergo complex food systems of production, not controlled experiments. For example, burgers creamers, frozen desserts, and protein drinks all contain dozens of ingredients, processing steps, and different usage patterns.
Consumers are often unaware of the scale of their chronic intake of ultra-processed foods, the repeated additive exposure, and overall dietary patterns. Food emulsifiers are a perfect example of how seemingly harmless additives in ultra-processed foods create cumulative risk over a period of time, as the value chain becomes longer between farm and retailer shelves.
Most consumers are making decisions within real-life constraints
People eat the foods that they can afford. Fresh high-quality meats and produce are beyond what many can afford and for those on a tight budget, processed foods are a financial necessity.
The free market is a powerful thing. It delivers what people want- as long as it’s profitable. The underlying culture in food processing is directly focused on profitability. In modern times, humanity is witnessing the unchecked growth of unrestrained market capitalism in food-related industries.
While food processing companies need to respond to consumers’ patterns of consumption, there is a need to look beyond surface-level macronutrients used as emulsifiers in other to eliminate the hidden biochemical disruptors that degrade human cellular health from the inside out.
The conversation around food is slowly shifting from calories to quality. Taste, price and label have now become the new centre of attraction and priorities for consumers. The big-box capitalist store model systematically unplugs local farmers from the food system and value chain.
Taking a global view
The industrial food revolution has forced a large proportion of the world’s population to rely on processed foods for a large portion of their diets.
Have humans become plastic people on a plastic planet? The innovations in food processing and consumption patterns point towards a complete lack of principle, integrity, and basic food ethics. Today, we have over 9,500 and counting chemicals now in our food systems, each designed to deal with a specific problem.
The mass production theory promulgated to match with the projected population of 9.5 billion predicted for 2050, has further pushed food processing companies to use cost effective ingredients instead of moving towards more natural ones.
The food industry argues that organic foods are expensive and considered as luxury, with premium prices. This goes to highlight the fact that human bodies are profit centres, which must perpetually depend on fast foods – ready-to-eat (RTE) meals and other fast food available on the go.
While ultra-processed foods are subsidised, affordable and health-expensive, the responsibility lies with the food industry to make food products safer and healthier for consumers instead of more profitable for the shareholders. We should be mindful of the old adage: a healthy population doesn’t generate billion dollars per year in pharmaceutical revenue, but a sick population does.
Equally, governments must review and follow-up on reliability of authorisations and develop simple food education and standards that helps dictate the health benefits of any food. A Phyto-Score card indicating naturally occurring compounds in food such planflavonoids and carotenoids must always be displayed on labels. Nutri-Score has shown that simple information can make manufacturers evolve.
