Food additive · Preservative
Potassium sorbate
- E-number
- E202
- CAS
- 24634-61-5
A widely used preservative that slows mold and yeast in cheese, baked goods, dips, dressings, wine and drinks.
- Food additive
- Preservative
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points potassium sorbate costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Low concernStrong evidence
EFSA (2019) set a group ADI of 11 mg/kg body weight (as sorbic acid); generally recognized as safe in the US. [1][2]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Permitted | Generally recognized as safe (21 CFR 182.3640). | — | [2] |
| European Union | Restricted | Permitted (E 202) in listed foods with maximum levels. | — | [3] |
| Canada | Permitted | On Health Canada's List of Permitted Preservatives. | — | [4] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Popular products that list potassium sorbate
532 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list potassium sorbate. The 12 most scanned:
-
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce Huy Fong Foods · 793 g Score 45 out of 100 Okay -
Chocolate Syrup Hershey's · 24 oz (1 lb 8 oz) 680 g Score 35 out of 100 Poor -
Classic Hummus Sabra · 284 g Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Fit Crunch Chocolate Peanut Butter Chef Robert Irvine's · 1.62 oz (46 g) Score 21 out of 100 Poor -
Dried Plums Kirkland Signature · 3.5 lb Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Miracle Whip Dressing Miracle Whip · 30 fl oz (1 pt 14 fl oz) 887 mL Score 39 out of 100 Poor -
Grated Parmesan Cheese Kraft · 24 oz Score 77 out of 100 Good -
Buttery Spread Smart Balance · 15 oz Score 61 out of 100 Good -
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Sabra · 28 g Score 70 out of 100 Good -
Vanilla Oikos Pro Oikos · 907 g Score 74 out of 100 Good -
Simply 5 Syrup Hershey's · 21.8 oz Score 15 out of 100 Bad -
Amaz!n Prunes Sunsweet · 16 oz Score 79 out of 100 Good
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 (28)
- e202
- kaliumsorbat
- potassium sorbate
- preservative e202
- preservatives e202
- sorbate de potassium
- potassium sorbate preservative
- preservative potassium sorbate
- potassium sorbate for freshness
- preservatives potassium sorbate
- potassium sorbate a preservative
- potassium sorbate mold inhibitor
- potassium sorbate sodium benzoate
- potassium sorbate to inhibit mold
- potassium sorbate as a preservative
- potassium sorbate to protect flavor
- potassium sorbate to protect quality
- potassium sorbate to retard spoilage
- potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate
- potassium sorbate to preserve quality
- potassium sorbate to prevent spoilage
- potassium sorbate to maintain freshness
- potassium sorbate to preserve freshness
- potassium sorbate added as a preservative
- preservative potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate
- potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate preservatives
- preservatives potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate
- potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate as preservatives
Sources
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“By applying a default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel established a group ADI expressed as 11 mg sorbic acid/kg bw per day for sorbic acid (E 200) and its potassium salt (E 202).”
doi.org
-
21 CFR 182.3640 Potassium sorbate
ecfr.gov
-
“E 127 Erythrosine 200 only cocktail cherries and candied cherries”
eur-lex.europa.eu
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11. List of Permitted Preservatives (Lists of Permitted Food Additives)
“B.2 Butylated Hydroxyanisole n/a (a) Active dry yeasts (a) Preservative (a) 1,000 ppm n/a”
canada.ca