E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E442
also: Ammonium salts of phosphatidic acid · Emulsifier YN · Ammonium phosphatide
An emulsifier used almost only in chocolate, to make melted chocolate flow smoothly in the factory.
Scan a barcode to check a food for ammonium phosphatides. NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iOS
MILK, sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, whey powder (from MILK), vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifiers (E442, E476), flavourings
Ammonium phosphatides are emulsifiers made in a factory from glycerol, fats from rapeseed or sunflower oil, and phosphoric acid.
284
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E442 in their ingredients
That is 0.7%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Ammonium phosphatides are emulsifiers made in a factory from glycerol, fats from rapeseed or sunflower oil, and phosphoric acid. They work much like lecithin and are sometimes used instead of it in chocolate. An emulsifier stops fat and water separating.
It helps cocoa butter and cocoa solids mix smoothly, which makes melted chocolate runnier and easier to pour into moulds or coat sweets with. It can also let makers use less cocoa butter, which is expensive, while keeping the same texture.
Almost only in chocolate and chocolate-coated products: plain, milk and white chocolate bars, chocolate coatings on biscuits and sweets, chocolate chips for baking and chocolate spreads. UK labels call it ammonium phosphatides or E442.
European reviewers looked at all the evidence on E442 in 2016. Animal studies at doses far above anything people eat showed no harm to fertility or unborn young, and lab tests showed no DNA damage. They kept the daily limit of 30mg per kg of body weight set in the 1970s.
A two-generation feeding study found no harm to reproduction at 3,000mg per kg of body weight a day, and a study in pregnant animals found no effects at up to 4,774mg per kg a day.
Reviewers found no sign of DNA damage in lab and animal tests.
Estimated intake of E442 stays under the daily limit of 30mg per kg of body weight in every group at permitted levels.
E442 does the same job as soya or sunflower lecithin and is used instead in some chocolate. Because it is made from rapeseed or similar oils, not soya, it avoids the soya allergen issue that can come with soya lecithin. It is not one of the allergens UK law makes labels declare.
Ammonium phosphatides are not a declared allergen under UK labelling law and are not made from any of the 14 major allergens.
Daily limit. 30mg per kg of body weight a day, about 2,100mg for a 70kg adult (set in the 1970s, confirmed by European reviewers 2016).
No group is advised to avoid it. It is made from plant oils and is generally treated as plant-based, though makers' standards vary. Anyone avoiding chocolate for another reason, such as milk, sugar or cocoa, should read the full ingredients rather than focusing on E442.
E442 is one of the most narrowly used additives, found almost only in chocolate. The evidence on it is the usual set for a food emulsifier: animal studies and DNA tests, with no studies in people because intake is too low to call for them. The 2016 European review found nothing new, and real intake sits well under the daily limit even for people who eat chocolate every day.
No. It is approved in the UK and is on the Food Standards Agency's list. Its use is narrow, mainly chocolate.
It makes melted chocolate runnier than lecithin does, at lower amounts, and it avoids the soya allergen issue when soya lecithin would otherwise be used. Some makers also use it to cut the cocoa butter while keeping a smooth texture.
Almost only chocolate: bars, chocolate-coated biscuits and sweets, chocolate chips and factory chocolate coatings. Look for ammonium phosphatides or E442.
It is made from plant oils, usually rapeseed or sunflower, and is not an animal product. But it is most often in milk chocolate, which is not vegan. Plain or dark chocolate with E442 may be vegan, depending on the rest of the recipe.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
It's the only app that does thisUKJaneK
You Need This AppGmac2005
Best AppGK getting skinny UK App Store reviews
NutraSafe reads the label and puts every additive into plain English, with the source, right in the app.
NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iOS
