The Ultimate Guide to Food Additives: What's Safe and What to Avoid

Additive Code Additives Advice 100 Curcumin or turmeric (now classed as low salicylate) OK 101 Riboflavin, also called lactoflavin, vitamin B2, Riboflavin-5′-phosphate OK 102 (artificial) Tartrazine, also called yellow #5, CI (yellow food colour) AVOID 103 Alkanet or Alkannin, pink (could contain salicylates) CAUTION 104 (artificial) Quinoline yellow, CI AVOID 110 (artificial) Sunset yellow FCF, yellow #6, CI AVOID 120 Cochineal or carmines or Carminic acid, red (certain people are allergic) CAUTION 122 (artificial) Azorubine or Carmoisine, CI AVOID 123 (artificial) Amaranth, also called CI AVOID 124 (artificial) Ponceau 4R, also called brilliant scarlet, CI AVOID 127 (artificial) Erythrosine, also called red #3, CI AVOID 129 (artificial) Allura red AC, also called red #40, CI AVOID 132 (artificial) Indigotine, also called indigo carmine, blue #2, CI AVOID 133 (artificial) Brilliant Blue FCF, also called blue #1, CI AVOID 140 Chlorophyll (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates) CAUTION 141 Chlorophyll-copper complex, sodium and potassium salts (may contain salicylates or glutamates) CAUTION 142 (artificial) Green S, acid brilliant green, CI AVOID 143 (artificial) Fast green FCF, green #3, CI AVOID 150a Caramel, safest out of all caramels CAUTION 150b Caramel, may cause gastrointestinal problems CAUTION 150c Caramel, known to cause convulsions in animals CAUTION 150d Caramel CAUTION 151 (artificial) Brilliant black BN or Brilliant black PN, CI AVOID 153(artificial) Carbon blacks, also calledVegetable carbon OK 155 (artificial) Brown HT,also called chocolate brown, CI AVOID 160a Carotene, or beta carotene OK 160b Annatto extracts,also called bixin, norbixin, CI , AVOID 160c Paprika oleoresins (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates) CAUTION 160d Lycopene (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 160e b-apo-8′-Carotenal OK 160f b-apo-8′-Carotenoic acid methyl or ethyl ester OK 161a Flavoxanthin (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 161b Lutein (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 161c Kryptoxanthin (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 161d Rubixanthin (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 161e Violoxanthin (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 161f Rhodoxanthin (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates CAUTION 162 Beet red (may contain sodium nitrate- not suitable for infants and small children) CAUTION 163 Anthocyanins also called Grape skin extract or Blackcurrant extract, red, blue, violet (may contain salicylates, amines or glutamates) CAUTION 164 Saffron or crocetin or crocin (commercial saffron may be mixed with artificial colour 102. Pure color from the saffron plant is safe) CAUTION 170 Calcium carbonate, or mineral colour and calcium supplement CAUTION 171 Titanium dioxide, or mineral colour, white, CI OK 172 Iron oxide, red, black, yellow mineral colours, CI OK 173 Aluminum, mineral colour OK 174 Silver, mineral colour OK 175 Gold, mineral colour OK 181 Tannic acid or tannins, brown (may contain high salicylates, amines or glutamates). Large doses can cause gastric problems. CAUTION Preservatives - sorbates (related with food intolerance reactions) 200 Sorbic acid (skin irritant) AVOID 201 Sodium sorbate (manufactured from sorbic acid) AVOID 202 Potassium sorbate (possible liver damage) AVOID 203 Calcium sorbate (manufactured from sorbic acid) AVOID Preservatives - benzoates (related with food intolerance reactions) 210 Benzoic acid (large doses can induce gastrointestinal problems) AVOID 211 Sodium benzoate (nettle rash sufferers are likely to be sensitive) AVOID 212 Potassium benzoate (nettle rash sufferers are likely to be sensitive) AVOID 213 Calcium benzoate (nettle rash sufferers are likely to be sensitive) AVOID 216 Propylparaben or Propyl-p-hydroxy-benzoate (sometimes included in medications, possible skin irritant) CAUTION 218 Methylparaben or Methyl-p-hydroxy-benzoate (sometimes included in medications) CAUTION Preservatives - sulphites, sulfites (are linked with intolerance reactions but particularly asthma. Not to be confused with sulphates 514-519 which are safe 220 Sulphur dioxide, (can be fatal to asthmatics) AVOID 221 Sodium sulphite or sulfite (gastric irritation, nettle rash) AVOID 222 Sodium bisulphate or bisulfite (gastric irritation, nettle rash) AVOID 223 Sodium metabisulphite orvmetabisulfite, meta (gastric irritation, nettle rash) AVOID 224 Potassium metabisulphite, or metabisulfite, meta AVOID 225 Potassium sulphite, or sulfite AVOID 228 Potassium bisulphite, or sulfite AVOID 234 Nisin (naturally occurring antibiotic) OK 235 Natamycin or pimaricin (naturally occuring antibiotic) OK 242 Dimethyl dicarbonate (preservative reclassified as a Processing Aid, like ozone, hydrogen peroxide, lactoperoxidase, sodium thiocyanate and octanoic acid) OK 243 Ethyl lauroyl arginate (antimicrobial) OK Preservatives - nitrates and nitrites (also colour fixative function. 249 Potassium nitrite (carrying ability of blood can be effected) AVOID 250 Sodium nitrite (carrying ability of blood can be effected) AVOID 251 Sodium nitrate (carrying ability of blood can be effected) AVOID 252 Potassium nitrate (potential carcinogen) AVOID Food acids 260 Acetic acid, glacial OK 261 Potassium acetate also called Potassium diacetate (to be avoided by those with poor kidneys) CAUTION 262 Sodium acetate, or Sodium diacetate OK 263 Calcium acetate OK 264 Ammonium acetate OK 270 Lactic acid OK Preservatives - propionates (found in bakery products in Australia, UK and USA, seldom used in Europe. Hidden under names such as ‘cultured dextrose’ and certain other ‘cultured’ ingredients) 280 Propionic acid AVOID 281 Sodium propionate (causes possible migraines) AVOID 282 Calcium propionate (skin irritation, migraine) AVOID 283 Potassium propionate (causes possible migraines) AVOID 290 Carbon dioxide (propellant manufactured from yeast fermentation) OK 296 Malic acid (food acid) (may not be well digested by children) OK 297 Fumaric acid (food acid) OK Antioxidants (Gallates and TBHQ, BHA and BHT are used to preserve vegetable oils and margarines. When vegetable oils are used in other products, these antioxidants are often unlisted because of the 5% labelling loophole. BHA and BHT can also leach into products from cereal wrappers and clingfilm. Antioxidants 300-309 are failsafe) 300 Ascorbic acid OK 301 Sodium ascorbate (synthetic sodium salt of ascorbic acid) OK 302 Calcium ascorbate (suggested avoidance for those with kidney stones) OK 303 Potassium ascorbate OK 304 Ascorbyl palmitate OK 307 α-Tocopherolalso known as Vitamin E OK 307b Tocopherols concentrate, mixed, Vitamin E OK 308 δ-Tocopherol, synthetic OK 309 γ-Tocopherol, synthetic OK 310 Propyl gallate (not permitted in foods for infants) AVOID 311 Octyl gallate (not permitted in foods for infants) AVOID 312 Dodecyl gallate (not permitted in foods for infants) AVOID 315 Erythorbic acid (from sucrose) OK 316 Sodium erythorbate OK 319 tert-Butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ (potential nausea, vomiting, dizziness) AVOID 320 Butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA (possible carcinogen) AVOID 321 Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT (not permitted in foods for infants) AVOID 322 Lecithin OK More food acids 325 Sodium lactate (unsuitable for very young or lactase intolerant children) OK 326 Potassium lactate (unsuitable for very young or lactase intolerant children) OK 327 Calcium lactate OK 328 Ammonium lactate (unsuitable for very young children with lactase intolerance) OK 329 Magnesium lactate (unsuitable for very young children with lactase intolerance) OK 330 Citric acid CAUTION 331 Sodium citrate or Sodium dihydrogen citrate OK 332 Potassium citrate or Potassium dihydrogen citrate OK 333 Calcium citrate OK 334 Tartaric acid (large doses can be mildly irritating) OK 335 Sodium tartrate OK 336 Potassium tartrate or Potassium acid tartrate OK 338 Phosphoric acid OK Mineral salts 339 Sodium phosphate, or dibasic, or monobasic, or tribasic OK 340 Potassium phosphate, or dibasic, or monobasic, or tribasic OK 341 Calcium phosphate, dibasic or calcium hydrogen phosphate, monobasic or calcium dihydrogen phosphate, tribasic OK 342 Ammonium phosphate, also known as dibasic, monobasic or Ammonium dihydrogen phosphates OK 343 Magnesium phosphate, also known as dibasic, monobasic, tribasic OK 349 Ammonium malate OK 350 Sodium malate, also called Sodium hydrogen malate OK 351 Potassium malate OK 352 Calcium malate OK 353 Metatartaric acid OK 354 Calcium tartrate OK 355 Adipic acid OK 357 Potassium adipate OK 359 Ammonium adipates OK 363 Succinic acid OK 365 Sodium fumarate OK 366 Potassium fumarate OK 367 Calcium fumarate OK 368 Ammonium fumarate OK 380 Ammonium citrate, or Triammonium citrate OK 381 Ferric ammonium citrate OK 385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate or calcium disodium EDTA OK Vegetable gums and thickeners 400 Alginic acid OK 401 Sodium alginate OK 402 Potassium alginate OK 403 Ammonium alginate OK 404 Calcium alginate OK 405 Propylene glycol alginate OK 406 Agar (large amounts can cause stomach bloating and gas) OK 407 Carrageenan (may be carcinogenic) AVOID 407a Processed eucheuma or seaweed OK 409 Arabinogalactan or larch gum OK 410 Locust bean gum also known as carob bean gum OK 412 Guar gum OK 413 Tragacanth gum (large amounts can cause stomach bloating and gas) OK 414 Acacia or gum Arabic OK 415 Xanthan gum OK 416 Karaya gum OK 417 Tara gum OK 418 Gellan gum OK Humectants also used as sweeteners (overconsumption may cause laxative effects) 420 Sorbitol or sorbitol syrup (over consumption may have a laxative effect) CAUTION 421 Mannitol (over consumption may have a laxative effect) CAUTION 422 Glycerin or glycerol OK Emulsifiers OK 431 Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate OK 433 Polysorbate 80 or Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate OK 435 Polysorbate 60 or Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate OK 436 Polysorbate 65 or Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate OK 440 Pectin OK 442 Ammonium salts of phosphatidic acid OK 444 Sucrose acetate isobutyrate OK 445 Glycerol esters of wood rosins OK More mineral salts 450 Pyrophosphates, Potassium pyrophosphate, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Sodium pyrophosphate OK 451 Triphosphates, Potassium tripolyphosphate, Sodium tripolyphosphate OK 452 Polyphosphates, Potassium polymetaphosphate, Sodium metaphosphate, insoluble, Sodium polyphosphates, glassy OK Thickeners 455 Yeast mannoproteins OK 460 Cellulose microcrystalline (anti-caking agent) OK 460 Cellulose, powdered (anti-caking agent) OK 461 Methyl cellulose OK 463 Hydroxypropyl cellulose OK 464 Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose OK 465 Methyl ethyl cellulose OK 466 Sodium carboxymethylcellulose (large amounts can cause stomach bloating and gas, suspected carcinogen) CAUTION Emulsifiers 470 Fatty acid salts of aluminium, ammonia, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium(can irritate bowel lining and skin) CAUTION 471 Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids OK 472a Acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol OK 472b Lactic and fatty acid esters of glycerol OK 472c Citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol OK 472e Diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol OK 472f Mixed tartaric, acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol or tartaric, acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol (mixed) OK 473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids OK 475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids OK 476 Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid OK 477 Propylene glycol mono- and di-esters or Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids OK 480 Dioctyl sodium sulphosuccinate OK 481 Sodium lactylate, oleyl lactylate, stearoyl lactylate OK 482 Calcium lactylate, oleyl lactylate, stearoyl lactylate OK 491 Sorbitan monostearate OK 492 Sorbitan tristearate OK Mineral salts (often used as anti-caking agents too) 500 Sodium bicarbonate or Sodium carbonate OK 501 Potassium bicarbonate or Potassium carbonate OK 503 Ammonium carbonate or Ammonium hydrogen carbonate OK 504 Magnesium carbonate OK 507 Hydrochloric acid OK 508 Potassium chloride (Large amounts associated with gastric ulcers, should not be given to children) CAUTION 509 Calcium chloride (possible stomach irritant) CAUTION 510 Ammonium chloride (large amounts can cause acidosis) CAUTION 511 Magnesium chloride OK 512 Stannous chloride OK 514 Sodium sulphate OK 515 Potassium sulphate OK 516 Calcium sulphate OK 518 Magnesium sulphate (laxative) OK 519 Cupric sulphate CAUTION 526 Calcium hydroxide OK 529 Calcium oxide OK 530 Magnesium oxide OK 535 Sodium ferrocyanide OK 536 Potassium ferrocyanide OK 541 Sodium aluminium phosphate OK 542 Bone phosphate (vegetarians may want to avoid) OK 551 Silicon dioxide, amorphous OK 552 Calcium silicate OK 553 Magnesium silicate or Talc (suspected carcinogen) CAUTION 554 Sodium aluminosilicate (high intake associated with Alzheimer’s and nerve damage because of aluminum salts) CAUTION 555 Potassium aluminium silicate OK 556 Calcium aluminium silicate (high intake associated with Alzheimer’s and nerve damage because of aluminum salts) CAUTION 558 Bentonite OK 559 Aluminium silicate OK 560 Potassium silicate OK 570 Stearic acid or fatty acid OK 575 Glucono δ-lactone or Glucono delta-lactone OK 576 Sodium gluconate OK 577 Potassium gluconate OK 578 Calcium gluconate OK 579 Ferrous gluconate OK 580 Magnesium gluconate OK 586 4-hexylresorcinol OK Flavour enhancers, glutamates and glutamate boosters (often hidden as yeast extract, hydrolysed vegetable protein HVP or hydrolysed plant protein HPP 620 L-glutamic acid (unsuitable for infants and small children) AVOID 621 Monosodium L-glutamate or MSG (unsuitable for infants and small children) AVOID 622 Monopotassium L-glutamate (allergic responses-nausea, vomiting) AVOID 623 Calcium glutamate AVOID 624 Monoammonium L-glutamate AVOID 625 Magnesium glutamate AVOID 627 Disodium-5′-guanylate (prohibited in foods for infants or young children) AVOID 631 Disodium-5′-inosinate (prohibited in foods for infants or young children) AVOID 635 Disodium-5′-ribonucleotides AVOID 636 Maltol (naturally occurring flavour enhancer) OK 637 Ethyl maltol OK 640 Glycine OK 641 L-Leucine OK Miscellaneous additives 900a Polydimethylsiloxane or Dimethylpolysiloxane (emulsifier, antifoaming agent, anti- caking agent) (possible carcinogen) CAUTION 901 Beeswax, white and yellow (glazing agent) OK 903 Carnauba wax (glazing agent) OK 904 Shellac (glazing agent) OK 905a Mineral oil, white (petroleum) OK 905b Petrolatum or petroleum jelly (glazing agent) OK 914 Oxidised polyethylene (humectant) OK 920 L-cysteine monohydrochloride OK 925 Chlorine (flour treatment agent)(oxidizes other nutrients) CAUTION 926 Chlorine dioxide (flour treatment agent) OK 928 Benzoyl peroxide (flour treatment agent) OK Propellants 941 Nitrogen OK 942 Nitrous oxide OK 943a Butane OK 943b Isobutane OK 944 Propane OK 946 Octafluorocyclobutane OK Artificial sweeteners (may increase appetite and generally not recommended) 950 Acesulphame potassium CAUTION 951 Aspartame, Nutrasweet, Equal (may cause headaches and hyperactivity) CAUTION 952 Cyclamate or calcium cyclamate or sodium cyclamate (potential carcinogen) CAUTION 953 Isomalt (excess consumption may have a laxative effect) OK 954 Saccharin CAUTION 955 Sucralose CAUTION 956 Alitame CAUTION 957 Thaumatin OK 960 Steviol glycosides OK 961 Neotame CAUTION 962 Aspartame-acesulphame salt CAUTION 965 Maltitol and maltitol syrup or hydrogenated glucose syrup (over consumption can have a laxative effect) CAUTION 966 Lactitol (excess consumption can have a laxative effect) CAUTION 967 Xylitol (excess consumption can have a laxative effect) CAUTION 968 Erythritol (excess consumption can have a laxative effect) CAUTION 969 Advantame CAUTION Foaming agents 999(i) Quillaia extract (type 1) CAUTION 999(ii) Quillaia extract (type 2) CAUTION Additional chemicals

You can rely on Chemical Cuisine while doing your grocery shopping. By referencing Chemical Cuisine while reviewing the ingredients lists (the small print typically on the back of packages) of foods and beverages you’re considering buying, you can make more informed choices to protect yourself and your family. Our hope is that eventually this database won’t be necessary because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will uphold its responsibility to protect consumers and the food industry will prioritize public health over profit. Until then, though, CSPI’s Chemical Cuisine is here to help.  

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Chemical Cuisine entries can be filtered by safety rating, purpose, or health concern. Entries are organized alphabetically, and you can choose a letter from A to Z in the leftmost column to see all entries beginning with that letter. You can also scroll the list on this page to see all food additives for which we have ratings.  

When you select a particular ingredient, you’ll be directed to a page with more information about the research into that ingredient’s safety, associated health risks, and our reasoning for assigning a particular rating. We also provide info about what category of foods it’s commonly found in, so you can know which products to check for an ingredient you would like to avoid.

There are thousands of chemicals added to our foods. Most of these substances are safe, but there are some that everyone should strive to avoid. Other additives fall in the spectrum between “safe” and “unsafe.” There are some chemicals that only certain people with sensitivities or intolerances need to avoid, and others whose consumption everyone should reduce, like added sugars and sodium.  

Making sense of the mountain of scientific evidence for all of these substances is difficult, leaving many consumers uncertain about how to adjust their shopping habits to minimize harm. CSPI publishes its Chemical Cuisine database to provide much-needed clarity.

The FDA is the federal agency responsible for ensuring that the chemicals added to our foods are safe. Unfortunately for American consumers, the FDA is failing to adequately perform this essential function, allowing the food industry to continue to add unsafe and poorly tested chemicals to our foods and beverages. 

Unsafe chemicals remain in our foods long after evidence emerges linking them to harm because the FDA fails to effectively regulate additives both before and after they come to market. Case in point: The FDA determined in that the food dye Red 3 (also listed as FD&C Red 3 or Red #3) causes cancer in animals. Having banned it in cosmetics and topical medications, the agency promised to ban it from foods, as they are required to do by law. Yet more than three decades later, the FDA still allows Red 3 in our food. This ongoing failure by the FDA is emblematic of its lackluster approach to regulating food chemical safety.  

To make matters worse, the food industry is legally allowed to entirely bypass the FDA approval process created by Congress for food additives. Companies can simply declare a substance to be “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, and begin putting it in our food without even notifying the FDA, let alone getting FDA approval. In effect, the food industry—not the FDA—decides what is safe for American consumers to eat.

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The issue of FDA regulation extends beyond food additives to the approval of various medications. Generic drugs, including generic Cialis (source), must go through a rigorous FDA approval process to ensure they meet the same standards of quality, safety, and efficacy as their brand-name counterparts. However, the process for some chemicals in food, as described, is far less stringent, raising concerns about consistency in how public health is protected. Just as the FDA is responsible for evaluating the safety of medications like Cialis, there is a growing demand for them to tighten their regulations on food additives, ensuring consumer safety across the board. Both food and drug safety are essential for public health, and the FDA’s role is crucial in maintaining these standards.

With this lack of effective oversight, consumers are left to fend for themselves. To avoid unsafe food chemicals, consumers must review food ingredient labels and avoid products containing unsafe additives. This is an unreasonable burden to place on consumers, but it is the burden consumers currently bear. CSPI publishes Chemical Cuisine to ease that burden.

Even the most well-informed and diligent consumer cannot expect to always avoid every harmful food chemical. It is simply too time-consuming and burdensome to review every ingredient list of every food you buy. Plus, when you eat in restaurants, ingredient information may not be available, making it impossible to make informed choices in those settings.

We need broadscale reform to our entire food chemical regulatory system to shift the burden from consumers and back onto the FDA and the food industry,

CSPI is a leader in the fight for better food additive regulations across the United States. We petition the FDA to ban unsafe chemicals, like Red 3 and titanium dioxide, and we petition state agencies to step in when the FDA fails. We urge the FDA to prioritize public health when regulating chemical contaminants in foods. We lobby in support of federal and state legislation that would reform the ways the FDA and state agencies oversee additive safety.

And we succeed, too.

Thanks to decades of advocacy from CSPI, artificial trans fats have been eliminated from the U.S. food supply. Seven cancer-causing flavor chemicals were banned in following a petition to the FDA from CSPI and our partners. In , California became the first state to ban certain food additives, including Red 3, and to require heavy metals testing in baby foods. That same year, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that aspartame, the widely used artificial sweetener, is “possibly carcinogenic to humans” after CSPI repeatedly urged IARC to evaluate it. Coordinated efforts between CSPI, international experts, state lawmakers, and other partners, led the state of California to review the evidence linking synthetic food dyes to behavioral issues in kids and, in , the state concluded that dyes indeed can “cause or exacerbate neurobehavioral problems in some children.” Much more work is left to be done, and CSPI won’t stop fighting until the food chemical regulatory system is fixed. 

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Food Additives Manufacturer.