Food additive · Preservative (sulfite)
Sodium bisulfite
- E-number
- E222
A sulfite preservative and antioxidant.
- Food additive
- Preservative
- Expert review pending
Concern level
Strong evidence of harm at high intake, emerging evidence of harm, or a common allergen or irritant. The concern level sets how many points sodium bisulfite costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Sulfite sensitivityRegulatory
Sulfites must be declared above 10 mg/kg in the EU and UK and at 10 ppm or more in the US because some people, especially people with asthma, react to them. [1][2][3]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Restricted | Permitted in listed foods; must be declared as an allergen above 10 mg/kg (as SO2). | — | [1] |
| United States | Permitted | Must be declared at 10 ppm or more (21 CFR 101.100(a)(4)). | — | [3] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 sodium bisulfite
38 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list sodium bisulfite. The 12 most scanned:
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Buttery Homestyle Mashed Potatoes Idahoan · 1.36 kg Score 28 out of 100 Poor -
Hashbrown Potatoes Idaho Spuds · 119gx1 Score 48 out of 100 Okay -
Original Mashed Potatoes Idahoan · 22 g Score 74 out of 100 Good -
Maria Cookies Goya · 30 g Score 8 out of 100 Bad -
Mashed Potatoes Chef's Cupboard Score 72 out of 100 Good -
Buttery Homestyle Mashed Potatoes Idahoan · 8 oz Score 10 out of 100 Bad -
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Idahoan · 28 g Score 24 out of 100 Poor -
Mediterranean apricots Mariani · 32 oz Score 62 out of 100 Good -
Reconstituted lemon juice Concord Foods Score 93 out of 100 Excellent -
Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes Idahoan · 28 g Score 8 out of 100 Bad -
Concord lime juicereconstitutedset Concord Foods · 4.5 fl oz (133 mL) Score 85 out of 100 Excellent -
Instant Mashed Potatoes Great Value · 26.7 oz/757 g Score 72 out of 100 Good
Diets and allergens
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
- Allergen
- Sulphites
For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (6)
- e222
- sodium bisulfite
- sodium bisulphite
- preservative sodium bisulfite
- preservative sodium bisulphite
- sodium bisulfite to preserve color
Sources
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Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers
“ANNEX II SUBSTANCES OR PRODUCTS CAUSING ALLERGIES OR INTOLERANCES 1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains”
eur-lex.europa.eu
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“1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof”
legislation.gov.uk