Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions

The answer to “Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions” in the New York Times crossword is OLESTRA — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 1, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 20-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions” answer

OLESTRA (7 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is OLESTRA.

Why the answer is OLESTRA

OLESTRA is the 7-letter solution that fits "Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions" in the NYT Crossword crossword on February 1, 2026 (20-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does OLESTRA mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of OLESTRA is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

February 1, 2026 (most recent) → OLESTRA. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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