It's somewhat understandable that people are afraid of E-codes these days. Lately, there has been a huge hassle around the topic, and the media has made additives look really bad.
Yet, there's an enormous difference for instance between pectin (E440) and azo-colors, which you mentioned. It's fantastic to see that the food trends are going to healthier direction, but it's just impossible to have everything additive-free, e.g. a lot of the additives are food preservatives, which are essential part of food production today.
Great post on a present-day topic! 😊