Lecithin(E322)
Level 3 — ContestedIn Winter's Dictionary2 sources
Lecithin is a emulsifier — Natural antioxidant and emollient; emulsifier in chocolate, bakery, ice cream
What it does
Natural antioxidant and emollient; emulsifier in chocolate, bakery, ice cream
Where you'll see it
Cereals, candy, chocolate, breads, oleomargarine
What the research says
[ultra-processed-people] Classified as 'natural' but van Tulleken argues commercial lecithins are 'often made up of very unnatural mixtures of naturally occurring chemicals that have been further chemically modified.' Marker of UPF construction; soy lecithin specifically is a downstream product of the hexane-extracted, RBD soy oil industry tied to Amazon deforestation. Grouped with the family of synthetic emulsifiers implicated in microbiome disruption.
Benefits
Natural emulsifier and spreading additive; nontoxic.
Regulatory status
- US FDA: GRAS
- EU: approved
Sources
- Ultra-Processed People (van Tulleken) — Chapter 14: Additive anxiety: Lecithins are classified as natural, but they're often made up of very unnatural mixtures of naturally occurring chemicals that have been further chemically modified
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): nontoxic. The final report to the FDA of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances stated in 1980 that it should continue its GRAS status