E-numbers / Acidity regulators / E367
also: Calcium salt of fumaric acid
The calcium salt of fumaric acid, used as an acidity regulator. Not currently authorised as a food additive in the UK or EU.
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This is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Why it’s worth knowing. This is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Calcium fumarate is the calcium salt of fumaric acid (E297), a naturally occurring organic acid found in small amounts in some plants and fungi. It is a white crystalline powder. As a salt, it combines calcium with fumarate ions and has been proposed for use as an acidity regulator and potential calcium-fortification source in food.
Fumarate salts act as acidity regulators by buffering pH in food systems. The fumarate ion helps stabilise acidity during processing and storage. Calcium fumarate has also been explored as a source of bioavailable calcium for food fortification, given that fumaric acid is well absorbed by the body.
E367 is not authorised for use in food in the UK or EU, so it should not appear on any UK or EU food label. Fumaric acid itself (E297) is permitted as a separate additive. If you see E367 on a label of a product sold in the UK, that would be non-compliant with UK food law.
Fumaric acid occurs naturally in small quantities in many foods. Its calcium salt has not been the subject of extensive dedicated safety evaluation as a food additive, in part because it has not been authorised for use in food. Fumarate is a normal intermediate in human metabolism (part of the citric acid cycle), so dietary fumarate is handled by normal metabolic pathways. No toxicological signals have been identified in available data, but the formal regulatory safety review for use as a food additive has not been completed.
Fumaric acid (E297) has been evaluated by EFSA and assigned an ADI of 'not specified', indicating low concern at typical food-use levels. Its calcium salt has not received a separate EFSA opinion as an authorised additive.
Calcium fumarate is not listed in Annex II of the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 (as at 28 June 2024) and is not on the UK FSA approved-additives list, meaning it has not been granted authorisation for use in food in either jurisdiction. No provisional or temporary authorisation exists for any specific food category.
Because E367 is not authorised for use in UK or EU food, it should not appear in any compliant product on UK shelves. No specific avoidance group applies beyond the general note that its presence in a UK-sold product would be a labelling irregularity.
E367 is an obscure entry: fumaric acid and several of its salts are well-established in food use, but the calcium salt specifically has not been taken through the EU or UK authorisation route. There is no body of human safety concern driving its absence from the approved list; it simply has not been formally evaluated and authorised for food use. The parent acid (E297) has a long regulatory track record with no meaningful safety signals at food-use doses.
E367 is not on the UK FSA approved-additives list, which means it is not authorised for use as a food additive in the UK. It has not been formally banned following prior approval; it has never held authorisation. A product bearing E367 on its label would not be compliant with UK food additive law.
No. Fumaric acid is E297 and is a separately authorised additive with its own permitted uses and maximum levels. E367 is specifically the calcium salt of fumaric acid. Although they share the fumarate component, they are distinct substances with separate (or, for E367, absent) regulatory authorisations.
Because E367 is not authorised in the UK or EU, it should not be present in any legally compliant food sold in these markets. It does not have designated food categories or permitted applications under current UK or EU food additive law.
Calcium fumarate is a mineral salt synthesised from fumaric acid and a calcium source. It contains no animal-derived ingredients, so it would be considered vegan. However, this is largely academic given that it is not currently authorised for use in food in the UK or EU.
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