Calcium disodium EDTA
A chelating agent that grabs metal ions in food to stop discolouration and rancidity. Not permitted in drinks in the UK.
EDTA binds to minerals in the gut as well as in food, which may reduce absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc with regular intake. EFSA identified gaps in the toxicity evidence base and called for additional data before completing its re-evaluation.
What is it?
Calcium disodium EDTA is the calcium-and-sodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a synthetic aminopolycarboxylic acid. It functions as a sequestrant: its four carboxylate arms wrap around metal ions and hold them tightly, making those ions chemically inactive.
What does it do?
It works by chelation: the molecule latches onto trace metal ions such as iron and copper that would otherwise catalyse oxidation reactions in food. By locking those metals away, it prevents fats from going rancid, stops cut or processed vegetables from browning, and keeps canned and jarred products looking and tasting fresh for longer.
Where you will see it
Used mainly in shelf-stable products where metal-catalysed oxidation is a problem: canned and jarred legumes (such as canned chickpeas and kidney beans), pickled vegetables and gherkins, certain margarines and vegetable oils, mayonnaise and salad dressings, and some canned shellfish and crab. It is explicitly not permitted in drinks in the UK. On a UK label it appears as 'calcium disodium EDTA' or 'E385'.
What the science says
Mineral absorption: what the evidence shows
EDTA chelates minerals both in food and, after ingestion, in the gut. Animal studies show it can reduce absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc at doses above typical food exposure levels. The significance at real-world dietary intakes is uncertain because EDTA consumed as a food additive is largely the calcium-disodium form, meaning the chelation sites are already occupied on ingestion; however regulators have not ruled out a contribution to reduced mineral absorption from cumulative exposure.
Animal studies show that high oral doses of calcium disodium EDTA reduced mineral absorption and caused renal tubular damage; effects were dose-dependent.
EFSA's ANS Panel noted shortcomings in the available toxicity database for E385 and called for additional long-term and reproductive toxicity data before the re-evaluation could be finalised.
The ADI for EDTA was set at 1.9 mg/kg body weight per day, derived from the JECFA evaluation; a 2018 EFSA opinion on ferric sodium EDTA reconfirmed this figure and noted no scientific justification to increase it.
Renal effects at high doses
At doses substantially higher than those possible through food use, EDTA has been shown to damage kidney tubule cells in animal studies. Regulatory bodies consider normal food-additive use levels to be far below the doses at which this effect appears, but the lack of modern long-term human data is the reason EFSA has flagged data gaps.
Repeated high-dose oral exposure to EDTA in rodents produced renal tubular degeneration; the no-observed-adverse-effect level used to set the ADI came from these studies.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
People on medically supervised mineral-restricted diets or with impaired kidney function should note that EDTA interacts with minerals. Look for 'calcium disodium EDTA' or 'E385' on the label. The additive should not appear in any drink sold in the UK.
The honest read
E385 is a well-established industrial chelating agent with decades of regulatory history. The core tension in the science is that the toxicity database used to set the ADI is old, based largely on 1970s animal studies, and EFSA has formally said the evidence base has gaps. Cumulative dietary exposure estimates suggest most people stay within the ADI from food use alone, but those estimates depend on dietary patterns and the data quality EFSA is currently questioning. The mineral-absorption concern is real in principle but the magnitude at typical food intakes has not been definitively quantified in modern human studies. EFSA's 2024 call for data means the current approval rests on an incomplete evidence base that is under active review.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E385 banned in the UK?
No, E385 is approved for use in certain foods in the UK, including canned legumes, pickled vegetables, mayonnaise and some shellfish products. However, it is explicitly prohibited in all drinks sold in the UK. That ban on drinks applies in both the UK and the EU.
Could E385 deplete my minerals?
EDTA chelates minerals and in animal studies at high doses it reduced absorption of calcium, iron and zinc. At typical dietary exposure levels from food additives, regulators consider the effect small, but this has not been robustly quantified in modern human studies. EFSA has flagged this as a data gap requiring more evidence.
What foods contain E385?
E385 is most commonly found in canned and jarred chickpeas, kidney beans and other legumes, pickled gherkins and vegetables, mayonnaise and salad dressings, some margarines, and canned crab or other shellfish. Check the ingredients list for 'calcium disodium EDTA' or 'E385'.
Is E385 vegan?
Yes, calcium disodium EDTA is a synthetic chemical with no animal-derived ingredients. It is considered vegan.
Sources
- EFSA Call for Data: Re-evaluation of Calcium Disodium EDTA (E 385) as food additive
- UK FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers
- JECFA monograph: Calcium disodium EDTA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives)
- EFSA Journal: Scientific opinion on ferric sodium EDTA (re-evaluation of ADI for EDTA)
- Short Review of Calcium Disodium Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid as a Food Additive, European Journal of Nutrition and Food Safety
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