Food additives are substances of known composition, they are not food, but are added to foods during the production, transport, shaping, processing and storage of food. The addition of food additives achieves uniformity of product quality, prolongs the shelf life of food by preventing food spoilage. According to the origin, additives are divided into additives of natural origin and artificial (synthesized) additives. According to functionality, additives are divided into 26 different categories that are described in this paper. In order for a particular additive to be included in the list of additives, it is necessary to determine the potential adverse effects and subject them to toxicological testing. In order for the consumer to be directly informed about the food he buys and the additives added to it, an E-labeling system for additives has been introduced. With the mentioned system, each additive is marked with its corresponding number. The use of additives in the Republic of Croatia is legally regulated by the Ordinance on food additives OG 62/2010 with amendments to the Ordinance OG 62/2011, 135/2011 and 79/2012 and the Act on food additives, flavorings and food enzymes OG 39/2013 with amendments to the Act NN 114/2018. If the food product contains an additive that is not prescribed by the ordinance or a larger amount of additive is determined, the Ministry of Agriculture informs the consumer, and accordingly the withdrawal and/or recall of the product from the market follows. As part of the final work, a survey entitled "Research on the knowledge of food additives in the general population in the Republic of Croatia" was conducted to provide insight into the knowledge of the term "food additives" and what is the attitude of respondents when buying food products containing additives.