Based on WISEdata (What I Should Eat Data from WISEcode), nearly half (46.8%) of all packaged foods have 11 or more ingredients, and nearly three-quarters (73.3%) of those contain at least one artificial or processed additive. When did our food turn into a chemical cocktail instead of a source of nourishment?

Not so long ago, food was more than sustenance—it was a connection to family, tradition, the land, and the living beings that sustained us. Whether it was crops grown with care or animals raised and honored for their nourishment, food was intertwined with a deep respect for the natural world and its cycles. Meals were lovingly prepared in homes, often by the hands of those who carried the wisdom of generations. A lot of us still remember the warmth of those moments—the comforting aroma of favorite recipes simmering, the gentle haze of steam rising from the kitchen, and the joy of gathering around the table. This way of life fostered a deep connection to food and a respect for its origins, with elders passing down those traditions and wisdoms from generation to generation.

But as society evolved, so too did our relationship with food. The rise of nuclear families, urbanization, and dual-income households made the convenience of pre-packaged foods alluring—perhaps even “necessary”. The long hours and fast-paced modern lifestyle meant fewer families could spend time preparing meals from scratch.At the same time, food production was industrialized to meet the demands of a growing, globalized population. Manufacturers seemed to prioritize efficiency, long shelf life, mass production, and food security over nutritional quality.

The supply chain stretched across continents, necessitating formulations that could survive transportation and months on a supermarket shelf. Artificial flavors were added, preservatives became essential, and high-fructose corn syrup took the place of simpler sugars—all in the name of convenience and profit.

The result? A packaged food ecosystem that is increasingly disconnected from its roots in wholesome, natural sourcing and cooking—and from the respect we once held for the environment and the abundance nature provided us. What was once a harmonious relationship with the earth has shifted to an apparently exploitative cycle, too often prioritizing convenience over sustainability. What we broadly find on store shelves today are products formulated not for nourishment, but for scalability, cost-effectiveness, and engineered palatability—all priorities that ultimately drive profits. Longer ingredient lists are often filled with chemical names that are hard to comprehend, pronounce and digest, representing a departure from food as it was meant to be.

We are starting to realize that this shift has come at an enormous cost to public health and wellness. Instead of a food system that nourishes, we have created an industrial machine that prioritizes shelf life over life span, taste over health, and profit over people. As a packaged food consumer, navigating this overwhelming landscape on your own would be a herculean task. Imagine trying to sift through over 300,000 foods, where the likelihood of encountering artificial and processed additives is approximately 75%. The challenge isn’t just about understanding what’s in these products. It’s about finding the few that don’t contain artificial or processed additives amidst this sea of complexity.

This is supported by our data that clearly illustrates the relationship between ingredient complexity and the rise of additives:

This chart shows the striking correlation between longer ingredient lists and the rise in artificial and processed ingredients. It underscores why transparency and tools, data and apps like WISEcode are essential for informed food choices.

This level of complexity highlights why tools like WISEcode are not just helpful—they're essential.

This is where WISEcode comes in. At WISEcode, we’ve built what we believe to be the world’s most comprehensive nutrition database—offering 1,000x more attributes than the standard Nutrition Fact Panel. Our database, growing fast, currently spans 650,000+ foods and 2.5+ million products, powered by advanced data engineering and machine learning techniques. We meticulously track 5,400+ unique ingredient types, alongside 32,000+ trade and chemical names, deliberate variations, and even common misspellings, enabling us to uncover hidden patterns and insights.

The “WISE” in WISEcode stands for “What I Should Eat,” and the “code” reflects our mission to decode the overwhelming complexity of modern food and nutrition. With our proprietary database, we calculate and visualize groundbreaking insights, such as the relationship between the number of ingredients and the prevalence of “Not WISE” additives—critical data that’s often hidden in plain sight.

This is about more than just data—it’s about making important nutrition and food data human, simple, accessible, and actionable. With longer ingredient lists making it nearly impossible for consumers to identify difficult-to-discern ingredients that are not wise to eat, we’ve designed an iOS app (Android version coming in the next few weeks) to surface this data and bridge the knowledge gap.

The WISEcode: Decode Your Food app simplifies the process: scan a food barcode, and instantly learn whether it contains "Not WISE" ingredients in the categories of artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, watchouts, high fructose corn syrup, seed oils, emulsifiers and ultra processed foods. Many more codes are coming soon, including important nutritional codes like: nutrient density, protein quality, fat quality, carb quality, sugar density, calorie quality and many more.

By transforming the chaos of ingredient lists into crystal-clear insights (codes), we’re giving the power back to consumers to make informed decisions about their health.

With WISEcode, we hope to ignite a movement toward transparency and accountability in the food industry—a movement that starts with knowledge and ends with change.

Download the WISEcode: Decode Your Food app to take part in this food revolution.

Tolga Erdogus

CTO & Office of the CEO

WISEcode