E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E473
also: Sugar esters · Sucrose fatty acid esters · SE
Sugar joined to fat, used to keep cakes, coffee whiteners and ice cream smooth. Toddlers already eat more than the daily limit, on average.
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Coconut Extract (67%), Water, Stabilisers (Guar Gum, Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose), Emulsifier (Sucrose Esters of Fatty Acids).
European reviewers found that average intake in toddlers, and intake in the heaviest-eating adults, can go over the daily limit.
138
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E473 in their ingredients
That is 0.3%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. European reviewers found that average intake in toddlers, and intake in the heaviest-eating adults, can go over the daily limit. Impurities from manufacturing may also add arsenic, mercury and cadmium to food.
Sucrose esters of fatty acids are made by chemically joining sucrose (table sugar) to fatty acids from vegetable or animal fat. One end of the molecule mixes with water and the other with fat. What is sold is a mix of molecules carrying one, two or three fatty acids.
They sit between fat and water and keep them mixed instead of separating. In cakes they improve the crumb and help them rise. In chocolate-style coatings they make the melted coating runnier. In dairy and drinks they stop cream or fat rising to the top.
Cakes and pastries, chocolate and chocolate-flavoured coatings, ice cream and frozen desserts, coffee whiteners and flavoured milks, whipped toppings, chewing gum and some low-fat spreads. UK labels call it sucrose esters of fatty acids, sucrose fatty acid esters or E473.
The daily limit for sucrose esters was set at 40mg per kg of body weight in 2004. Reviews in 2018 and 2023 both found that average estimated intake in toddlers is already over it, and the toddlers who eat the most reach roughly four times the limit. The heaviest-eating adults and children also go over it when they stick to the same products. Reviewers called this a concern, but the additive is still allowed while more data are collected.
Average estimated intake for toddlers was about 59mg per kg of body weight a day in a scenario where people stick to one brand, above the shared daily limit of 40mg per kg. The top 5% reached about 183mg per kg.
A refined estimate using levels reported by makers confirmed that intake of E473 went over the daily limit in several groups.
The 2023 review found that the current purity rules allow levels of arsenic, mercury and cadmium that could add meaningfully to what people take in at normal additive amounts. This comes from manufacturing and raw materials, not from the sucrose ester molecule itself. Reviewers said the limits need tightening.
At the current purity limits, arsenic intake from E473 could be substantial, and possible intake of mercury and cadmium was also high, raising concern about toxic metal intake.
In the gut, sucrose esters are split back into sucrose and fatty acids, both normal parts of food. Animal studies in the original review found little toxicity, and reviewers did not raise a cancer or DNA-damage concern about the substance itself. The concerns are about how much people eat and how pure it is.
Sucrose esters showed little toxicity when eaten in animal studies, were not considered a cancer concern, and are largely split in the gut into sucrose and fatty acids.
The 2023 review listed gaps: no measurements of erucic acid, 3-MCPD or glycidyl esters in products on sale, little information on trans fat, and incomplete use data from makers. Because of these gaps, reviewers could not fully estimate intake for every group, and asked the food industry for more data.
Reviewers found data missing on erucic acid, 3-MCPD, glycidyl esters and trans fat in commercial sucrose esters, and asked industry for updated measurements and use levels.
Daily limit. 40mg per kg of body weight a day, shared with E474 (European reviewers, 2004).
Parents of toddlers and young children should know this age group is the most likely to go over the daily limit through regular cakes, biscuits, desserts and flavoured milks containing E473. Adults who eat a lot of these foods every day take in more too. Look for E473 or sucrose esters of fatty acids.
Sucrose esters have been used for decades and are split in the gut into ordinary sugar and fat. The chemistry itself does not raise a cancer or DNA-damage signal. What has changed is the intake data: European reviewers have confirmed three times since 2010 that estimated real-world intake in some groups, toddlers especially, goes over the agreed limit. That does not mean harm has been seen, but the margin between what is eaten and what regulators accept has gone. The 2023 finding on arsenic, mercury and cadmium is a separate and more concrete concern that makers were asked to address.
No. E473 is approved in the UK and is on the Food Standards Agency's list. It remains allowed while European reviewers gather updated data from makers.
They found that estimated intake in toddlers and the heaviest-eating adults already goes over the shared daily limit of 40mg per kg of body weight. Going over a daily limit does not automatically lead to a ban, but reviewers have asked industry for updated data and the additive is under active review. They also found the purity rules on arsenic, mercury and cadmium need tightening.
Mostly cakes and pastries, chocolate and chocolate coatings, ice cream, frozen desserts, coffee whiteners, flavoured milk drinks and whipped toppings. Look for E473 or sucrose esters of fatty acids.
Not always. The fatty acids can come from plant fats, such as palm or sunflower, or from animal fat. The label does not say which, so look for a vegan certification or ask the maker.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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