Food additive · Preservative (sulfite)
Sulfur dioxide
- E-number
- E220
A sulfite preservative used in dried fruit, wine and juices.
- 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 sulfur dioxide costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
-
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“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 sulfur dioxide
42 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list sulfur dioxide. The 12 most scanned:
-
Probiotic Apricots Nature's Garden Score 73 out of 100 Good -
Carb Balance Flour Tortilla Wraps Mission · 24 oz Score 43 out of 100 Okay -
Coconut Bites Jennies · 24 oz Score 13 out of 100 Bad -
Wheat Thins sundried tomato & basil Nabisco · 250 g Score 21 out of 100 Poor -
Golden Raisins Sun-Maid · 12 oz Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Spicy Chili Crisp Laoganma · 7.41 oz Score 26 out of 100 Poor -
Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs Amylu · 46 oz Score 39 out of 100 Poor -
OATful BITES Member's Mark · 26 g Score 11 out of 100 Bad -
Traditional Chex Mix Snack Mix Chex · 39 servings Score 9 out of 100 Bad -
Wheat Thins Sundried Tomato and Basil Wheat Thins · 368 g Score 21 out of 100 Poor -
Protein Oat Pancake & Waffle Mix Aldi Score 15 out of 100 Bad - 100% Whole Grain Wheat Fig Fruit Chewy Cookies Newtons · 10 oz, 283 g Score 11 out of 100 Bad
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 (23)
- e220
- sulfite
- sulfites
- sulphite
- sulphites
- sulfur dioxide
- sulphur dioxide
- antioxidant e220
- sulfiting agents
- preservative e220
- antioxidant sulfites
- preservative sulfite
- antioxidant sulphites
- sulphites preservative
- antioxidant sulfur dioxide
- antioxidant sulphur dioxide
- preservative sulfur dioxide
- sulfur dioxide preservative
- preservative sulphur dioxide
- sulphur dioxide preservative
- preservatives sulphur dioxide
- sulfur dioxide to preserve color
- sulfur dioxide added as a preservative
Sources
-
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
-
“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