What The Food? Decoding the UK’s Most Confusing Food Labels

Sodium metabisulphite. Xanthan gum. What the eff are you actually eating?

Brits spend over 1 hour and 20 minutes a month staring at ingredient labels. A third of us still can’t explain what half of it means.

So we built What The Food (WTF) with registered nutritionist Rob Hobson and comedian Katherine Ryan. It’s a free tool that translates 100+ baffling industrial ingredients into plain, clear English.

Food Labels Have Become a Second Language

Look at the back of almost any packaged food, and it reads more like a chemistry exam than dinner. Sodium metabisulphite, acetic acid esters, xanthan gum. None of these were in grandma’s recipe book.

Googling them usually makes things worse with conflicting advice, jargon, and zero clarity on the only question that matters: is this good for my family to eat?

What Do Brits Really Think About Ingredient Lists?

We surveyed 2,000 UK adults to pull back the curtain:

• 33% can’t explain basic ingredient names in everyday food.
• 21% have given up reading ingredient lists altogether.
• 20% put items back because the label was too confusing.
• 24% bought food without knowing what was inside.
• 74% are actively trying to eat healthier.

People want to make informed choices. The food industry just makes it ridiculously hard.

Introducing What The Food (WTF)

What The Food is Gousto’s AI-powered digital dictionary, built to decode label jargon on the spot.

Nutritionist Rob Hobson provided the accurate scientific facts for 100+ common food additives. Comedian Katherine Ryan translated the science into clear sense.

“Ingredients like acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids leave most of us none the wiser,” says Katherine. “WTF pairs the accurate science with a translation you can actually picture and remember.”

“This isn’t about calling ingredients good or bad,” adds Rob. “It’s about giving people the facts so they can choose for themselves.”

How the WTF Decoder Works

Use it at home or in the supermarket aisle:

Search the dictionary: Look up 100+ ingredient definitions on demand.

Toggle Science & Sense: Compare technical definitions with Katherine’s plain-English translations.

Scan a label: Point your camera at any food packet for instant, jargon-free answers using our AI scanner.

Play the quiz: Test your knowledge before the clock runs out to unlock rewards.

Why Gousto Is Doing This

Everyone deserves to know what goes onto their plate.

As Gousto Founder and CEO Timo Boldt puts it:

“Food labels have become unnecessarily complex. You shouldn’t need a chemistry degree to know what you’re eating. WTF translates that jargon quickly, honestly, and with a bit of humour—because convenience should never come at the cost of transparency.”

We build our recipe boxes around that exact standard: great-tasting recipes, ready in as little as 10 minutes, packed with fresh, seasonal produce (hand-selected where we can) and 100% British meat. WTF simply extends that commitment to clarity beyond our own boxes.

Try It Yourself

Skip the label guesswork. Use What The Food to get straight, honest answers next time you’re in the supermarket aisle.

And if you want dinner sorted without the chemistry exam, get fresh, pre-portioned ingredients delivered straight to your door with Gousto.

Survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Opinium, August 2026, on behalf of Gousto.