Mmmm tahini....

Leash, i think the simple answer is the almighty dollar$. It's corporate companies, and little guys trying to compete, and cash strapped and time poor families who put their trust in what's on the supermarket shelves.

I'm lucky in that none of have a bad reaction to preservatives or additives, but I'm shocked at how often they are in everything. I've using jar and sauces since dd was born, and I'm trying to get back to cooking from scratch, just because of all the cr*p that's in them.