The good news is that Germany tends to be very good about avoiding preservatives in foods, even in brands such as Maggi and Knorr, which are filled with them in America. There is the food for internal consumption and the food for export, and sadly many of the international food companies produce food for export filled with preservatives. Maggi soups, Knorr soups, and Nutella (and even Nivea cream!) are just some examples of products which have 'extras' in them for export to the US market which are not found in the original product. The rules for food production and governing baked goods etc are very strict.

Being a veggie myself and also sensitive to dairy products in America and preservatives, I usually stock up on food in Germany to bring to America, not the other way around. A lot of products are marked 'Bio' and you will find large Bio sections and even Bio stores in Germany.

Feel free to PM me for more specific questions as we are not really talking safety and security anymore. I can also help with France to some degree having spent a great deal of time there.