What is that smell??

So I love Target. Who doesn't right? Just the convenience of being able to buy the new car seat I want, fruit leather, and a cute pink cardigan is fabulous.  I'm there today and I'm all for trying new things which drives my darling husband crazy...so I pick these up. Dried apples.

I get home open them up and start snacking, the bag says they are Great For Snacking so I obey. Mind you I haven't eaten since 8am and it's 1pm so the fact that I'm smelling and tasting chemical doesn't hit me until a few mins later. Now my head kind of hurts and I'm looking up the ingredients: Apples (good), citric acid (ok), sodium metabisulphite (not so good). This is what good ol' Wikipedia says...I will take notes and highlight the best parts :)

Sodium metabisulfite or sodium pyrosulfite is an inorganic compound of chemical formula Na2S2O5. It is used as a disinfectant, antioxidant and preservative agent. How are these words used in the same sentence??

It may cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to sulfites, including respiratory reactions in asthmatics as well as in those who do not identify with the condition.

It is used as a cleaning agent for potable water reverse osmosis membranes in desalination systems. It is also used to remove chloramine from drinking water after treatment.

Concentrated sodium metabisulfite can be used to remove tree stumps. <- No. I'm not making this up.

When mixed with water, sodium metabisulfite releases sulfur dioxide (SO2), a pungent, unpleasant smelling gas that can also cause breathing difficulties in some people. For this reason, sodium metabisulfite has fallen from common use in recent times, with agents such as hydrogen peroxide becoming more popular for effective and odorless sterilization of equipment. Aww it's all coming clear now. If you can't smell it it's not there. That works, right??