Zinc acetate

also: zinc diacetate

A zinc salt used to add zinc to foods such as infant formula and food supplements. It delivers zinc as a nutrient, not as a preservative or colour.

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E650Synthetic

Zinc acetate

Zinc acetate is the zinc salt of acetic acid.

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What zinc acetate is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Zinc acetate is the zinc salt of acetic acid. It appears as a white crystalline powder that dissolves readily in water. In food use it serves as a source of the essential trace mineral zinc rather than as a functional additive in the traditional preservative or texturiser sense.

What does it do?

It releases zinc ions when dissolved, supplying zinc to fortified foods. Zinc is required for hundreds of enzyme reactions in the body, including immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, and normal growth. As a food additive, zinc acetate is chosen because it is highly water-soluble and the zinc it provides is well absorbed.

Where you will see it

Zinc acetate is permitted only in a narrow set of products: food supplements in tablet, capsule or liquid form; foods for special medical purposes (such as sip-feeds for hospital patients); infant formula and follow-on formula; and processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children. It does not appear in mainstream grocery products. On a UK label it appears as 'zinc acetate' or 'E650' in the ingredients list, or may be declared under the nutrition information as a zinc source.

What the science says

Zinc as an essential nutrient with an upper limit

Zinc is an essential trace mineral; deficiency causes immune failure, poor wound healing, and growth delay. However, chronic high intake from all sources can suppress copper absorption, leading to copper deficiency, anaemia, and neurological problems. EFSA set a tolerable upper intake level for zinc of 25mg per day for adults. In food supplements, zinc content per daily dose is regulated under Directive 2002/46/EC to stay within this range. At the levels used in fortified foods and supplements, intake from E650 alone is well within the upper limit for most people.

EFSA set a tolerable upper intake level (UL) for zinc of 25mg per day for adults, based on the risk of copper depletion at higher intakes.

2006Regulatory reviewEFSA Scientific Committee on Food / Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies

Chronic zinc supplementation above the UL reduces copper absorption and can cause copper-deficiency anaemia and neurological impairment.

2001EstablishedInstitute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc

At high single doses (above about 50mg), zinc salts including zinc acetate can cause nausea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal irritation.

EstablishedWHO Food Additives Series, zinc toxicology review

EFSA re-evaluation as a food additive

EFSA re-evaluated zinc acetate as a food additive under its programme to reassess all additives authorised before 2009. The panel confirmed that zinc acetate used in its permitted food categories poses no additional concern beyond the general zinc upper intake level, and that its use as a zinc source in supplements and fortified foods for infants is appropriate when total zinc intake stays within the tolerable upper level.

EFSA confirmed that zinc acetate (E650) is suitable as a zinc source in the permitted food categories and that no new safety concerns arose from its use as a food additive distinct from the established zinc UL.

2012Regulatory reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS)

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved for use in the UK and EU in a limited set of food categories

Legal basis: UK FSA approved-additives list and assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 (Annex II); also covered under food supplement and infant formula regulations for its role as a zinc source
Permitted foods: Food supplements; Foods for special medical purposes; Infant formula and follow-on formula; Processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children; Dietary foods for special medical purposes
Maximum levels: Quantum satis (as needed to achieve the intended nutritional effect) within the limits set by zinc UL regulations; specific maximum levels per food category apply under the relevant food-for-specific-groups regulations
Safe-intake limit (ADI): No numerical ADI set as a food additive; intake governed by zinc tolerable upper intake level of 25mg/day for adults (EFSA)
History: Zinc acetate received its E number when the EU harmonised its list of permitted additives. EFSA conducted a re-evaluation of zinc acetate as part of its systematic programme to reassess all pre-2009 authorised food additives, publishing its opinion around 2012. It was retained on the permitted list without restriction changes. UK continued to recognise E650 post-Brexit under assimilated EU law.

Who should be careful

People already taking high-dose zinc supplements should check total daily zinc intake from all sources does not regularly exceed 25mg. Infants fed formula containing zinc acetate are covered by the regulatory limits applied to that product category. Look for 'zinc acetate' or 'E650' in the ingredients list, or check the nutrition panel for zinc content per serving.

The honest read

Zinc acetate is a nutrient-delivery ingredient, not a chemical additive in the preservative or colour sense. Its safety profile is well understood because zinc itself is one of the most studied essential minerals. The debate that exists is not about zinc acetate specifically but about high-dose zinc supplementation in general, where the risk of copper depletion at doses well above normal dietary intake is established. In the narrow food categories where E650 appears, the amounts used are set to stay within the tolerable upper level, and the additive has been in regulated use across the EU for decades without emerging safety signals.

Common questions about zinc acetate

Is E650 banned in the UK?

No. Zinc acetate (E650) is an approved food additive in the UK and EU, permitted in food supplements, infant formula, foods for special medical purposes, and related categories.

Can too much zinc from products containing E650 cause problems?

Zinc has a tolerable upper intake level of 25mg per day for adults. Chronically exceeding this from supplements and fortified foods combined can deplete copper, potentially leading to anaemia. At the amounts found in individual regulated products, staying within that limit is achievable, but people taking multiple zinc-containing supplements at once should check their combined daily total.

What foods contain E650?

Zinc acetate is restricted to food supplements, foods for special medical purposes, infant formula, follow-on formula, and processed cereal-based infant foods. It does not appear in mainstream grocery products such as bread, drinks, or snacks.