E numbers: what the number next to an additive states, and what it does not
The letter E in front of a number is not a warning. It is a registration code. Below we explain what it states, how the list is built, and what does not follow from it.
What an E number is
The rule is Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives. Annex II holds the Union list: the additives approved for use in the Union, together with their conditions of use. The E number is the code an additive receives when it is entered in that list.
Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 separately lays down the specifications — identity and purity — for the additives on that list.
It is a list of what is permitted, not of what is banned
The logic runs the opposite way to what many assume: an additive may be used only where the list provides for it, only in the food categories named, and only up to the levels stated. Anything not included is not permitted.
Foods where they are not permitted at all
The same Annex contains tables of foods in which additives, or colours, may not be used. Among those named are unprocessed foods, honey, butter, coffee, pasta, and food for infants and young children. For colours the list additionally names milk, bread, sugar and eggs.
How they appear in the ingredients list
An additive is declared by its functional class — for example colour, preservative, antioxidant, emulsifier — followed either by its specific name or by its E number. So preservative E 202 and preservative potassium sorbate are the same declaration.
The six colours with a mandatory statement
Article 24 and Annex V require that, where a food contains any of six specific colours, the label carries next to the name or E number of the colour the statement that it may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. This has applied since 20 July 2010.
- E 102 Tartrazine
- E 104 Quinoline Yellow
- E 110 Sunset Yellow FCF
- E 122 Carmoisine
- E 124 Ponceau 4R
- E 129 Allura Red AC
The statement is a labelling requirement set by the regulation. The colours remain approved and listed: the measure concerns what the label states, not a prohibition on use.
What the number does not state
The number identifies the substance and its authorisation. It states nothing about origin — natural or synthetic — and nothing about the quantity in the particular product. Those are two separate questions with separate answers.
The list changes
The Union list is updated by Commission regulations amending Annex II. An additive can be added, restricted to fewer food categories, have its maximum levels lowered, or be removed. The applicable position is the one in the consolidated text.
How they appear in a recall
Additives appear in notices in two forms: an additive present above the permitted level, or an additive not permitted in that food category at all. The notice states which of the two.
If you have a label in front of you and cannot place the entries: VeraRead reads the label and names its fields, based on the official rules, in plain language.