The use of food additives in food production is inevitable in this modern world. Although only a safe amount of food additives is approved, their safety has always been questioned. At present, artificial synthetic food additives have gradually replaced natural food additives and many problems related to food additives, involve the abuse of food additives, excessive additives, or even toxic additives. Obviously, food additives can bring people great sensory enjoyment and commercial convenience, but they may also cause potential risks to human health. So, it is of high significance to conduct quantitative analysis on the content of food additives. According to their functions and the regulatory requirements of food additives, this review started with the classification, and functions of various food additives involving preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, and gelling agents and the advantages and disadvantages of food additives usage.