Sodium fumarate
E299 is not an assigned or approved food additive number in the UK or EU. No food sold in the UK should carry this E-number on its label.
What is it?
Sodium fumarate is the sodium salt of fumaric acid (E297). It is not assigned the E-number E299 in the UK or EU regulatory framework. The E299 slot is unassigned in EU Regulation 1333/2008. Fumaric acid itself is approved as E297; the approved fumarate salt in the EU/UK additive list is monosodium fumarate, which carries a different designation.
What does it do?
As an acidity regulator, sodium fumarate would adjust and stabilise pH in food, acting similarly to fumaric acid (E297). However, because E299 is not a permitted UK or EU food additive number, the compound cannot legally be used under this code in food products on the UK market.
Where you will see it
You should not see E299 on a UK or EU food label. If you encounter it, that is a labelling error or the product is not compliant with UK food law. Fumaric acid (E297) is used in baked goods, soft drinks, and some sweets as a sour flavouring and acidity regulator.
What the science says
Fumaric acid and its salts: background
Fumaric acid (E297) is a naturally occurring organic acid found in many plants, including fumitory, and in small amounts in the body as part of normal metabolism. Its sodium salt (sodium fumarate) is chemically straightforward and well-studied as a metabolic intermediate. No independent toxicological review specifically for E299 exists, because the number is unassigned.
Fumaric acid (E297) has been evaluated and approved in the EU and UK as a food additive acidity regulator. Its salts, including sodium fumarate, are closely related compounds sharing the same metabolic pathway.
E299 is an unassigned E-number
A review of the consolidated text of EU Regulation 1333/2008 (updated June 2024) confirms that the E299 slot is unassigned. The sequence jumps from E297 (fumaric acid) to E300 (ascorbic acid) with no entries at E298 or E299. No EFSA safety opinion for E299 as a food additive exists, because the number has never been allocated.
E299 does not appear in Annex II of the consolidated EU Regulation 1333/2008. The FSA approved-additives list (which mirrors the assimilated UK version of this regulation) also contains no entry for E299.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
As E299 is not an approved or assigned additive, there is no labelling guidance applicable. If a product label shows E299, the label is likely in error. Anyone with concerns about acidity regulators in food should look for E297 (fumaric acid) on ingredients lists instead.
The honest read
E299 is a blank in the regulatory catalogue, not a substance that was evaluated and found wanting, and not one that slipped through. The E200-E299 block is mostly preservatives, and the tail end of that range has several unassigned slots. There is no scientific controversy about E299 because there is no approved additive to debate. If you are concerned about fumarate compounds in food, the relevant entry to look up is E297 (fumaric acid), which does have an established safety record and regulatory review.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E299 banned in the UK?
It is not banned; it was never approved or assigned. E299 is an unassigned slot in EU Regulation 1333/2008, which the UK has assimilated into domestic law. No food additive legally carries the E299 designation in UK or EU food products.
Is E299 the same as sodium fumarate?
No. The assignment of E299 to sodium fumarate is incorrect. Fumaric acid is E297; sodium fumarate (monosodium fumarate) is a related compound but does not hold the E299 designation in any current UK or EU regulation. The E299 number is unassigned.
What foods contain E299?
No UK or EU food should legally contain or declare E299, because the number is unassigned. If you see E299 on a product label, that is likely a data or labelling error. Fumaric acid (E297) is the approved related additive used in baked goods, soft drinks, and some sweets.
Is E299 vegan?
The question does not apply in practice, as E299 is not an approved or assigned food additive in the UK or EU and should not appear on any food label.
Sources
- EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives, consolidated text 02 June 2024
- Approved additives and E numbers, Food Standards Agency
- Sodium fumarate, Wikipedia
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