Food additive · Preservative

Calcium disodium EDTA

E-number
E385

A sequestrant that binds metals to protect flavor and color in dressings, sauces, canned beans and drinks.

  • Food additive
  • Sequestrant
  • Ultra-processing marker
  • Expert review pending

Concern level

Low concern Level 1 of 4 How concern levels work

A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points calcium disodium EDTA costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Marker of ultra-processingInfo

    An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [1]

Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.

Popular products that list calcium disodium EDTA

312 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list calcium disodium EDTA. The 12 most scanned:

Diets and allergens

Vegan
Yes
Vegetarian
Yes
Gluten-free
Yes

For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.

Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (20)
  • e385
  • edta
  • antioxidant e385
  • antioxidant edta
  • calcium disodium edta
  • disodium calcium edta
  • antioxidant calcium disodium edta
  • preservative calcium disodium edta
  • calcium disodium edta to protect color
  • calcium disodium edta as a preservative
  • calcium disodium edta to protect flavor
  • calcium disodium edta to preserve flavor
  • calcium disodium edta to protect quality
  • calcium disodium edta to preserve freshness
  • calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate
  • calcium disodium edta added as a preservative
  • calcium disodium edta added to protect flavor
  • calcium disodium edta used to protect quality
  • calcium disodium edta added to protect flavour
  • calcium disodium edta added to preserve freshness

Sources

  1. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org