“Chemicals in food are bad for you.”
Strong confidence because every food is made of chemicals, including water, vitamins and compounds that occur naturally in plants. Safety depends on the specific substance, dose and exposure, not whether something is called a chemical.
All foods are made of chemicals. The word chemical does not tell you whether something is safe or harmful. What matters is which chemical it is, how much you are exposed to and what the evidence shows at that dose.
Natural chemicals can be harmful at high enough doses, and synthetic chemicals can be safe at normal food exposures. A chemical name can sound unfamiliar without being dangerous.
Hazard describes whether something can cause harm under some conditions. Risk also considers how much exposure actually occurs.
Can food chemicals serve useful purposes?
Yes. Some added chemicals preserve food, prevent spoilage, improve texture or restore nutrients. Each ingredient still needs to be judged on its own evidence and approved use.
You do not need to fear a food just because someone calls an ingredient a chemical. The label is not a safety test.
If an ingredient concerns you, look up the specific ingredient and dose instead of treating the word chemical as the verdict.