What is it?
Citric acid is the acid found in lemons, limes and other citrus fruit. The version used in food is made by feeding sugar to a mould, Aspergillus niger, and purifying the acid it produces.
E-numbers / Acidity regulators / E330
Citric acid
also: E330 · 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid
The acid that makes lemons sour. It is added to food and drink for a sharp taste, to set how acidic a food is, and to slow browning.
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Carbonated Water, Citric Acid, Flavourings, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Sweeteners (Acesulfame K, Sucralose), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate)
E330
Citric acid
Citric acid is the acid found in lemons, limes and other citrus fruit.
VeganVegetarian
UK supermarket foods that declare E330: 8,649 of the 43,325 we checked (20%)
Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.
Only 2.7% of these labels print “E330”. Most use the name: look for “citric acid”.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
How common it is in UK food, by aisle
- Soft drinks and juices1,355 products52% of 2,627
- Crisps and savoury snacks1,085 products32% of 3,428
- Bread and bakery874 products24% of 3,682
- Ready meals and pizza857 products18% of 4,833
What citric acid is, what it does and where you will see it
What does it do?
It gives a sour, tangy taste and holds a food at a set level of acidity. It also locks up traces of metal, which slows browning and rancidity and helps food keep.
Where you will see it
An enormous range of products: soft and energy drinks, squashes, sweets, jams, tinned fruit and vegetables, sauces, ready meals, baked goods and dairy desserts. Labels call it citric acid or E330.
What the science says
Linked to high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes in large French studies
In 2026 two NutriNet-Santé analyses of more than 100,000 French adults reported that people who ate more citric acid as an additive had 25% more high blood pressure and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. This is about the added acid, not citrus fruit. These are observational studies.
Among 112,395 French adults followed from 2009 to 2024, higher intake of citric acid as an additive was linked to a 25% higher risk of high blood pressure.
2026Observational study in peopleEuropean Heart Journal, NutriNet-Santé cohort (reported by INRAE)
Among 108,723 French adults followed from 2009 to 2023, with 1,131 new cases of type 2 diabetes, citric acid (E330) was one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
2026Observational study in peopleNature Communications, NutriNet-Santé cohort
No daily limit set, but acidic drinks can wear down teeth
Food regulators set no numerical daily limit for it. The practical point is teeth: like other food acids, it can wear away enamel when very acidic drinks are sipped often.
The international committee set no numerical daily limit, first described as "not limited" and later as "not specified", for citric acid and its calcium, potassium, sodium and ammonium salts.
Regulator reviewJECFA (FAO/WHO)
European reviewers looked at citric acid again and kept it without a numerical daily limit at the uses and amounts reported.
Regulator reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives
In lab tests, citric acid wore away more tooth enamel and dentine than phosphoric acid across the acidity range of soft drinks.
2001Lab studyJournal of Oral Rehabilitation (PubMed 11580825)
About 90% of the citric acid made for industry comes from fermenting sugar with the mould Aspergillus niger.
Established factJournal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology
Where it stands with the regulators
Approved in the UK and the EU
Daily limit. None set (international committee).
- Legal basis
- On the Food Standards Agency's list of approved additives
- Permitted foods
- Most kinds of food, at no more than is needed, with set limits in a few
- Maximum levels
- No set maximum in most foods.
- History
- European food scientists and the international committee set no numerical daily limit for it, and European reviewers kept that position when they looked at it again.
Who should be careful
Because it is acidic, sipping very acidic drinks often can wear down tooth enamel over time, so drinking through a straw and not sipping all day helps. A small number of people report reacting to it, which some have linked to the mould used to make it. Labels call it citric acid or E330.
The honest read
Regulators have set no numerical daily limit for citric acid. In 2026 two large French studies linked higher intake of citric acid added to food with 25% more high blood pressure and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. They are observational, about the added acid rather than citrus fruit, but they are the first human signals of their kind for this additive.
Common questions about citric acid
Is E330 banned in the UK?
No. Citric acid is approved in the UK and EU and allowed in a wide range of foods, mostly at no more than is needed to do the job.
Is citric acid bad for you?
Regulators have set no numerical daily limit for it. The practical point is teeth: like other food acids, drinking very acidic drinks often can wear away enamel.
What foods contain E330?
A huge range, including soft and energy drinks, squashes, sweets, jams, tinned fruit and vegetables, sauces, ready meals, baked goods and dairy desserts.
Is E330 vegan?
Yes. It is made by fermenting sugar with a mould, with nothing from animals.
Sources
- Approved additives and E numbers - Food Standards Agency
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives - EUR-Lex
- JECFA monograph: Citric acid (FAO)
- The effect of pH on the erosion of dentine and enamel by dietary acids in vitro - PubMed
- INRAE (2026) Food colourings and preservatives: three new studies point to links between food additives and increased risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension (European Heart Journal study, 21 May 2026)
- (2026) Associations between preservative food additives and type 2 diabetes incidence in the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort, Nature Communications
Last reviewed: 9 November 2026
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