E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E471

Mono- and diglycerides

also: glyceryl monostearate · GMS · MDG

Made from fat, it stops oil and water separating in bread, cakes, spreads and ice cream. A large French study linked eating more of it to heart disease and some cancers.

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An ingredient list from the bread and bakery aisle

Sugar (EU and non-EU), Glucose Syrup, Palm Oil, Humectant: E422, Colours: E163, E133; Emulsifier: E471, Stabilisers: E415, E466, Preservative: E202, Flavouring

E471Thickener / Emulsifier · Synthetic

Mono- and diglycerides

Making E471 can leave trans fats in it, and contaminants that may cause cancer.

UK supermarket foods that declare E471: 3,902 of the 43,325 we checked (9%)

Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.

Only 28% of these labels print “E471”. Most use the name: look for “mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids”.

Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted

How common it is in UK food, by aisle

Bread and bakery1,401 products38% of 3,682
Cakes, biscuits and desserts919 products25% of 3,715
Ice cream and frozen desserts469 products62% of 762
Ready meals and pizza323 products6.7% of 4,833

What mono- and diglycerides is, what it does and where you will see it

Why it’s worth knowing. Making E471 can leave trans fats in it, and contaminants that may cause cancer. Regulators have asked for tighter limits on both.

What is it?

Mono- and diglycerides are made by joining glycerol to fats from plant oils or animal fat. Labels call them E471 or mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids. It is an emulsifier, which means it stops oil and water separating.

What does it do?

It keeps oil and water mixed. That is why a supermarket loaf stays soft for days, why ice cream stays smooth as it melts, and why a low-fat spread does not weep water. In bread it also slows the crumb going stale.

Where you will see it

Sliced bread, rolls, cakes, margarine and low-fat spreads, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate, peanut butter, instant mash, cake mixes and coffee whiteners. UK labels usually print the name, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, rather than E471.

What the science says

Linked to heart disease and some cancers in a large French study

The NutriNet-Santé study asked tens of thousands of French adults to record everything they ate, then followed their health for about 7 years. People who ate more E471 had more heart disease and more strokes. In a second analysis, those who ate the most had more cancer overall, and more breast and prostate cancer.

Among 95,442 French adults followed for a median of 7.4 years, higher intakes of mono- and diglycerides (E471 and E472) were linked to higher risk of heart and circulation disease, coronary heart disease, and disease of the blood vessels in the brain, such as stroke.

2023Observational study in peopleSellem et al., BMJ, NutriNet-Santé cohort

Among 92,000 French adults followed for an average of 6.7 years, the people who ate the most E471 had a 15% higher risk of cancer overall than those who ate the least, a 24% higher risk of breast cancer and a 46% higher risk of prostate cancer.

2024Observational study in peopleSellem et al., PLOS Medicine, NutriNet-Santé cohort

Making it can leave trans fats, which raise heart risk

E471 made from hardened oils can contain trans fats. Trans fats raise LDL, the cholesterol that clogs arteries, and lower HDL, the kind that clears it, so they raise the risk of heart disease. When European reviewers checked E471 in 2017 there was no legal limit on trans fats in it, and they asked for one.

The EU and UK rules for what E471 may contain set no maximum for trans fats. Reviewers found samples of up to 59.92% trans fat and recommended setting one.

2017Regulator reviewEFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of E471, EFSA Journal

Trans fats in the diet raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol, which raises the risk of heart and circulation disease. Several reviews of many studies agree on this.

2018Review of many studiesWHO global action plan on trans fatty acids

Glycidol from its impurities is a probable cause of cancer

The refined oils used to make E471 can carry substances called glycidyl esters. In the gut these turn into glycidol. The WHO's cancer agency says glycidol probably causes cancer in people, based on strong evidence in animals. Reviewers found far more of it in some E471 than they think acceptable, and asked for a limit.

The WHO's cancer agency (IARC) classes glycidol as probably causing cancer in humans (Group 2A), based on sufficient evidence in animals.

2000Cancer classificationIARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Vol. 77 (Some Industrial Chemicals)

Commercial samples of E471 contained up to 111mg of glycidyl esters per kg. Reviewers recommended a maximum of 10mg per kg.

2017Regulator reviewEFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of E471, EFSA Journal

Baby formula grade carries the same contaminant, and reviewers called a limit urgent

E471 is allowed in infant formula. In 2021 European reviewers looked again at its use in formula for babies under 16 weeks. But formula-grade E471 carried the same glycidyl esters, and they said a limit should come in urgently for baby products.

For formula given to babies under 16 weeks, formula-grade E471 reached up to 111mg of glycidyl esters per kg. The reviewers called the missing glycidyl ester limit the most urgent gap to close, and recommended the same 10mg per kg maximum.

2021Regulator reviewEFSA ANS Panel follow-up opinion on E471 in infant formula, EFSA Journal

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved in the UK and the EU

Daily limit. None set. That covers E471 itself, not the trans fats and glycidyl esters it can carry, which they asked to limit separately.

Legal basis: On the Food Standards Agency's list of approved additives for Great Britain
Permitted foods: Bread, cakes and pastries · Margarine and spreads · Ice cream and frozen desserts · Sauces such as mayonnaise · Breakfast cereals and other processed cereals · Infant formula, including formula for special medical needs · Chewing gum · Processed meats · Coffee whiteners · Foods for special diets
Maximum levels: No set maximum for most foods. Infant formula has its own limits.
History: European reviewers checked it again in 2017. They set no daily limit, and asked for tighter limits on trans fats, glycidyl esters, 3-MCPD, erucic acid and toxic metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury). In 2021 they asked for the glycidyl ester limit in formula for babies under 16 weeks to be revised urgently. The tighter purity limits were still being written into EU rules in 2021.

Who should be careful

Vegans, vegetarians and anyone keeping halal or kosher. E471 can be made from animal fat such as lard or tallow, and UK labels do not have to say which. If you are cutting down on trans fats, E471 made from hardened oils may add some to your diet. Products that say "no hydrogenated fat" avoid those oils.

The honest read

Making it can leave trans fats and contaminants that may cause cancer behind, and regulators have been asking for limits on both since 2017.

Then there is the French research linking higher intakes of E471 to heart disease and some cancers. Whether the tighter purity limits are now in UK law is worth checking against the Food Standards Agency's current rules.

Common questions about mono- and diglycerides

Is E471 banned in the UK?

No. It is on the Food Standards Agency's list of approved additives for Great Britain.

Is E471 linked to cancer?

A French study of 92,000 adults found that people who ate the most E471 had more cancer overall, and more breast and prostate cancer, than those who ate the least. Separately, making E471 can leave contaminants that may cause cancer, based on animal studies.

Does E471 contain trans fats?

It can. E471 made from hardened vegetable oils can contain trans fats. In 2017 European reviewers found no legal limit on trans fats in E471 and reported one sample at 59.92% trans fat. They asked for a limit. Whether it is now in UK law needs checking against the Food Standards Agency's current rules.

What foods contain E471?

Sliced bread and other baked goods, margarine and low-fat spreads, ice cream, chocolate, peanut butter, cooking oils, instant mashed potato, coffee whiteners, cake mixes and infant formula. On UK packs it is usually listed as mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, sometimes as mono- and diacylglycerols, and less often as E471.

Is E471 vegan?

Not always. It can be made from plant oils or from animal fat such as lard or tallow. UK labels do not have to say which, so E471 on its own does not tell you. Look for a vegan mark or a named plant oil, or ask the maker.