What is it?
Calcium propionate is the calcium salt of propionic acid, a short-chain fatty acid found naturally in Swiss-type cheeses and made by gut bacteria. For food it is made in a factory by combining propionic acid with a calcium compound.
E-numbers / Preservatives / E282
Calcium propionate
also: Calcium propanoate · E282
The mould inhibitor in most packaged sliced bread. A small trial in children who already reacted to additives found some slept worse and were more irritable on it.
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Wheat Flour [ Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Wheat Starch.
E282
Calcium propionate
A small blinded trial in 27 children, all already known to react to food additives, found about half became more irritable, restless or inattentive and slept worse on bread containing it.
VeganVegetarian
720
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E282 in their ingredients
That is 1.7%, counted by its code or its name.
Only 13% of these labels print “E282”. Most use the name: look for “calcium propionate”.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
How common it is in UK food, by aisle
- Bread and bakery526 products14% of 3,682
- Ready meals and pizza121 products2.5% of 4,833
- Cakes, biscuits and desserts32 products0.9% of 3,715
- Fruit, vegetables and salad13 products0.5% of 2,631
What calcium propionate is, what it does and where you will see it
Why it’s worth knowing. A small blinded trial in 27 children, all already known to react to food additives, found about half became more irritable, restless or inattentive and slept worse on bread containing it. The overall statistical test showed no significant difference, and the authors concluded only that some children may be affected. Propionic acid, which the body releases from this additive, has caused autism-like behaviour in rats, but only when infused straight into the brain rather than eaten, so what it means for bread is unresolved.
What does it do?
It stops moulds and some bacteria growing by interfering with how they take in food and multiply. It works in the slightly acidic conditions of bread dough, slowing spoilage without holding back the yeast much during baking.
Where you will see it
Mostly packaged sliced bread, including wholemeal and seeded, part-baked bread, rolls, tortilla wraps, pitta, rye bread and some fruit cakes. UK labels call it calcium propionate or E282.
What the science says
Linked to type 2 diabetes in a large French study
In 2026 a NutriNet-Santé analysis of 108,723 French adults found calcium propionate was one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. These are observational studies: they show links, not proof that the additive causes the disease.
Among 108,723 French adults followed from 2009 to 2023, with 1,131 new cases of type 2 diabetes, calcium propionate (E282) was one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
2026Observational study in peopleNature Communications, NutriNet-Santé cohort
Behaviour in children
A blinded crossover trial gave children bread with and without calcium propionate, without them or their parents knowing which. All the children were already known to react to food additives. On the propionate bread, about half became more irritable, restless or inattentive and slept worse. The overall statistics did not show a significant difference, and the authors concluded only that some children may be affected. It is one small study and has not been repeated in a large trial.
In a blinded crossover study of 27 children already sensitive to additives, some showed more irritability, restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance on bread containing calcium propionate than on preservative-free bread.
2002Randomised trial in peopleDengate S, Ruben A, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
Propionic acid, the gut and the brain
Digesting calcium propionate releases propionic acid. In rats, propionic acid infused straight into the brain caused behaviour resembling autism, along with signs of brain inflammation. Separately, some children with autism have been found to have more propionic acid from their gut bacteria. The animal work used direct doses into the brain, not diet, so how it relates to eating bread is uncertain.
Propionic acid infused into the brains of rats caused repetitive movements, social problems and signs of brain inflammation resembling autism.
2007Animal studyMacFabe DF et al., Behavioural Brain Research
Propionic acid caused behaviour changes relevant to autism in rats, including altered movement and social interaction.
2018Animal studyChoi J et al., Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
In brain stem cells grown in the lab, propionic acid pushed cells towards the support-cell type and increased signs of inflammation, changes seen in autism.
2019Lab studyAbdelli LS et al., Scientific Reports
Migraine
Propionate shows up on lists of foods some people with migraine say set off their headaches. That evidence comes from people's own food diaries and small surveys, not controlled trials.
Foods containing propionate appear in lists of migraine triggers that patients report themselves in surveys.
2016ObservationalMartin VT, Vij B, Headache
Blood sugar in mice
A study in mice found that propionate in the diet set off a stress-hormone response that raised blood sugar and insulin. The doses, and the differences between mice and people, mean it is not established what this means for people eating bread.
In mice, dietary propionate triggered glucagon and stress hormones, raising blood sugar and signs of insulin resistance.
2019Animal studyTirosh A et al., Science Translational Medicine
Where it stands with the regulators
Approved in the UK and the EU
Daily limit. None set by European reviewers.
- Legal basis
- On the Food Standards Agency's approved list for England, Scotland and Wales
- Permitted foods
- Packaged sliced bread · Rye bread · Reduced-energy bread · Part-baked packaged bread · Packaged rolls · Tortillas and pitta · Some cakes and fruit bread
- Maximum levels
- 1,000 to 3,000mg per kg depending on the food, with bread usually 3,000mg per kg, measured as propionic acid.
- History
- Propionic acid (E280) and its sodium (E281), calcium (E282) and potassium (E283) salts were reviewed together by European reviewers, who in 2014 raised no safety issue at current intakes. They remain allowed in the UK after leaving the EU.
Who should be careful
Parents who notice irritability, poor sleep or inattention in a child after eating packaged bread may want to trial preservative-free bread or sourdough for a while and compare. People who find propionate sets off migraines should look for calcium propionate or E282. Packaged bread is the main source.
The honest read
The regulatory picture is simple: E282 is allowed in UK and EU bread, and European reviewers found no issue at normal intakes. The research picture is less settled. The 2002 children's trial is real, the rat studies linking high-dose propionic acid to autism-like changes are real, and the 2019 mouse study on blood sugar is real. None of them shows whether the propionate from ordinary bread is enough to do these things in most people. The children's trial is one small study where some children seemed affected, and the rat studies used doses straight into the brain. There are fair open questions, particularly about children and heavy intake. A large 2026 French study added a link between calcium propionate and type 2 diabetes, which fits with the mouse blood sugar findings but is itself observational.
Common questions about calcium propionate
Is E282 banned in the UK?
No. E282 is on the Food Standards Agency's approved list, in packaged bread, rolls, tortillas, pitta and rye bread.
Can calcium propionate affect children's behaviour?
One blinded crossover trial (Dengate and Ruben, 2002) found that some children eating bread with calcium propionate were more irritable and restless and slept worse than on preservative-free bread. All the children were already sensitive to additives, and the overall statistics did not show a significant difference. It has not been repeated in a large trial.
What foods contain E282?
Mainly packaged sliced bread, rolls, tortilla wraps, pitta and rye bread in UK supermarkets. Sourdough, and bread baked fresh in-store and sold unwrapped, usually does not contain it. Look for calcium propionate or E282.
Is E282 vegan?
Yes. It is made in a factory from chemicals, with nothing from animals.
Sources
- FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers
- FSA Regulated Products Register: E282
- Dengate S, Ruben A. Controlled trial of cumulative behavioural effects of a common bread preservative. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2002
- MacFabe DF et al. Neurobiological effects of intraventricular propionic acid in rats: possible role of short chain fatty acids on the pathogenesis and characteristics of autism spectrum disorders. Behavioural Brain Research, 2007
- Abdelli LS, Samsam A, Naser SA. Propionic acid induces gliosis and neuro-inflammation through modulation of PTEN/AKT pathway in autism spectrum disorder. Scientific Reports, 2019
- Tirosh A et al. The short-chain fatty acid propionate increases glucorticotropic hormone and hyperglycaemia via a gut-brain neural circuit. Science Translational Medicine, 2019
- EFSA ANS Panel opinion on propionic acid, sodium propionate, calcium propionate and potassium propionate (E280-E283), 2014
- Choi J et al. Propionic acid induced behavioural effects of relevance to autism spectrum disorder evaluated in the hole board test with rats. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 2018
- (2026) Associations between preservative food additives and type 2 diabetes incidence in the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort, Nature Communications
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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