Colours (E100s)
Give or restore colour. Includes plant-derived (curcumin from turmeric, anthocyanins from grape) and synthetic azo dyes. The Southampton Six colours sit here and carry the mandatory FSA warning on UK labels.
Food additives and E-numbers: which ones to watch on a UK label
You turn the pack over, read "E471, E150d, E330", and you're none the wiser. Here's what those codes actually are, which ones the research has flagged, and how to spot them on a UK label. Plain English, with the source.
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Start here
What is an E-number?
An E-number is just a code for a food additive, a shorthand so the label can say "E300" instead of "L-ascorbic acid". The "E" stands for Europe, and the UK kept the system after Brexit. Some E-numbers are synthetic dyes. Some are things already in your kitchen: E300 is vitamin C, E330 is the citric acid in a lemon. The code on its own doesn't tell you which.
What the prefix means
- E100s, coloursBeetroot, turmeric, tartrazine, allura red.
- E200s, preservativesSodium benzoate, sorbates, nitrites, sulphites.
- E300s, antioxidantsVitamin C, vitamin E, BHT, BHA.
- E400s, thickeners, emulsifiersLecithin, xanthan gum, mono- and diglycerides.
- E600s, flavour enhancersMSG, disodium inosinate, yeast extract.
- E900s, sweeteners & glazesAspartame, sucralose, stevia.
Three things worth knowing
- "E" stands for EuropeFrom the EU's harmonised list. After EU withdrawal, the UK kept it.
- Natural still gets an E-codeBeta-carotene from carrots (E160a) and a coal-tar dye (E110) both have an E-code.
- Approved isn't permanentE171 was permitted, then banned in UK food in 2022 after a fresh EFSA review.
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What they do
Why are additives in your food?
Each one earns its place by doing a job: keeping bread mould-free, stopping oil and water separating, holding a colour that fades in processing. Most fall into one of six groups. Here's what each does, where you meet it, and which entries inside have flagged research.
Preservatives (E200s)
Stop bacterial growth, mould or oxidation. Sodium benzoate (E211) in soft drinks, sorbates in bread, sulphites in wine and dried fruit, nitrites in cured meat. Nitrites (E249-E252) are part of the IARC Group 1 processed-meat finding.
Antioxidants (E300s)
Stop fats and oils going rancid, stop fruit browning. Often vitamins (vitamin C as E300, vitamin E as E307). BHA and BHT also live here.
Thickeners & emulsifiers (E400s)
Keep oil and water mixed, build texture. Lecithin in chocolate, xanthan in dressings, mono- and diglycerides in bread.
Sweeteners (E900s)
Sweeten without sugar's calorie load. Aspartame (E951) was classified IARC Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic) in July 2023; the WHO JECFA kept the existing daily-intake limit the same week.
Nitrites in cured meat (E249 to E252)
Sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate. Used to cure ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs. IARC classes processed meat as Group 1: causes cancer in humans (colorectal). NHS caps processed meat at 70g a day.
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The honest answer
Are E-numbers bad for you?
Some are linked to real harm. Most are ordinary ingredients doing a job. The hard part is telling them apart, because "E-number" covers everything from vitamin C to a coal-tar dye.
Before an additive is allowed in UK food it's risk-assessed, given an acceptable daily intake, and only permitted in certain foods at certain levels. That clears most of the list. But "approved" isn't "proven harmless forever": E171 (titanium dioxide) was permitted for years, then banned in UK food in 2022 after a fresh review. The science moves, and the label moves with it.
So the useful question isn't "are E-numbers bad", it's "which ones carry a published concern, and how much would I have to eat for it to matter". A few are worth recognising on sight. Three groups below do most of the worrying for you.
Colours that affect children
The Southampton Six. UK packs containing them carry a legal warning about activity and attention in children. See which six →
Processed-meat preservatives
The nitrites in bacon and ham sit inside the processed-meat finding the WHO classes as causing cancer (bowel). The NHS caps processed meat at 70g a day.
A handful of sweeteners
Aspartame was classed "possibly carcinogenic" in 2023, with the daily-intake limit left unchanged. Worth knowing about.
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What a flag looks like
A worked example: nitrites in cured meat
Sodium nitrite (E250) cures most UK supermarket bacon, ham, salami and hot dogs. Here's the line we show, the sources we cite, and the NHS context that sits underneath it.
What a nitrite flag looks like
Scan a pack of bacon, ham or salami and NutraSafe reads the ingredients for E-codes. Sodium nitrite (E250) and its relatives (E249 to E252) come back flagged, because they sit inside the processed-meat finding the WHO classes as causing cancer.
The IARC review of red and processed meat (Monograph 114, 2018) puts processed meat in Group 1: causes cancer in humans, colorectal. The NHS caps processed meat at 70g a day. We surface that context, with the source on the line, so what you make of it is your call.
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The ones to recognise
Which E-numbers to watch
Not grades, and not a list of things to fear. These are documented regulator positions, written so you can spot them on a label and decide for yourself.
The Southampton Six
E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129. UK products containing any of these carry the warning "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." Mandatory wording, FSA-required since 2010. Most UK brands reformulated; some imported sweets and drinks still use them.
Source: FSA Southampton study (2007), UK retained EU Regulation 1333/2008.
Processed-meat nitrites
E249, E250, E251, E252 in cured ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs. IARC classes processed meat as Group 1 (causes cancer in humans). NHS caps processed meat at 70g a day. The nitrites themselves are part of the mechanism the IARC review describes.
Source: IARC Monograph 114 (2018), NHS Eatwell, SACN.
E171 (titanium dioxide)
Banned in UK and EU food since 7 August 2022 (EU Reg 2022/63, retained in UK law). You shouldn't see it on a UK food label sold from 2023. Still permitted in toothpaste and some medicines. Worth recognising on imported packs.
Source: EFSA 2021 re-evaluation, EU Regulation 2022/63 (UK retained).
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Kids and colours
Do E-numbers make children hyperactive?
Some can affect some children, enough that UK law puts a warning on the pack. Here's what the research found, and what it didn't.
A 2007 study at the University of Southampton tested six artificial colours, often alongside the preservative sodium benzoate, and found a link to increased hyperactivity and inattention in some children. It measured behaviour on rating scales. It did not diagnose ADHD, and not every child reacts.
The response was a warning, not a ban. Any UK product containing one of the six must carry the wording "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." That's a legal label, not our opinion. Most UK brands reformulated to drop the colours, so you mostly meet them now on imported sweets and drinks.
If you're tracking a child's reactions to food, log what they ate and how they were afterwards, and take the pattern to your GP. We surface the colours; we don't diagnose.
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Spotting them yourself
How do I check what's in my food?
Two patterns to look for in the ingredient list, plus what to do with each.
"Tartrazine (E102)" or "Acidity regulator (E330)"
UK labels list additives in brackets after the chemical name. Manufacturers may show the chemical name, the E-code, or both. Either way, the additive's function (colour, preservative, acidity regulator, antioxidant) appears in front, and the specific entry sits in brackets.
Scan the barcode in the app and we list every E-number on the pack with what each one is and what the regulator says. Free tier shows the flag on every additive we recognise; Pro opens up the full per-ingredient detail and allergen breakdown.
For the full A to Z, the UK E-number library is searchable by code, name or the food you saw it on.
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Questions people ask
Additive FAQ
The questions we see most in supermarket-aisle messages and app submissions. Sourced to the FSA, EFSA, IARC and UK retained law.
Are any UK food additives banned?
Yes. E171 (titanium dioxide) has been banned in EU food since 7 August 2022 (still permitted in Great Britain) (EU Commission Regulation 2022/63, retained in UK domestic law). You shouldn't see it on any UK food label sold after that date. It's still permitted in non-food uses including toothpaste and some medicines.
Which additives carry a mandatory warning label?
Six colours, known as the Southampton Six: E102 tartrazine, E104 quinoline yellow, E110 sunset yellow, E122 carmoisine, E124 ponceau 4R, E129 allura red. UK products containing any of them must carry the warning "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." The wording is FSA-required, not editorial.
What does the FSA actually do with E-numbers?
The Food Standards Agency reviews approved additives, updates the UK permitted list, and publishes consultations when GB departs from an EU position. The FSA mandates the Southampton Six warning, retained the EU E171 ban from 2022, and after the 2023 IARC aspartame reclassification made no change to its permitted use.
What's an ADI?
Acceptable Daily Intake. The amount EFSA considers a person could consume every day for life without an appreciable health risk, expressed in milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. EFSA sets ADIs; the UK retained them after EU withdrawal. An ADI of 40 mg/kg/day for aspartame means a 70kg adult would need to consume 2,800mg daily to reach the limit, roughly 14 cans of a diet drink.
Are natural additives different from artificial ones?
The E-code doesn't tell you which is which. E160a is beta-carotene from carrots. E110 is a coal-tar dye. Both have an E-code because both have been assessed for use as a food additive. The specific entry tells you the source and the process.
How do I check if a specific additive was banned?
The FSA publishes a current list of approved additives at food.gov.uk. EFSA publishes risk-assessment opinions at efsa.europa.eu. We flag known-banned additives (E171 titanium dioxide is the most recent example) when they appear in scanned products.
Do all UK additives have an E-number?
Approved food additives in UK food get an E-number. Flavourings are regulated separately and can appear in ingredient lists without an E-code. If you see an additive name without a code, the FSA additives database has the regulatory status.
Which E-numbers should I avoid?
There's no official "avoid" list, but the ones with published concerns are the Southampton Six colours (E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129), the nitrites in processed meat (E249 to E252), and E171, which is already banned in UK food. Most other E-numbers carry no flagged research. Whether a flagged one matters to you depends on how much of that food you actually eat.
What are the E-numbers in sweets?
Usually colours, glazing agents and acidity regulators. Some imported sweets still use the Southampton Six colours and so carry the children's-behaviour warning. Citric acid (E330) gives the sour kick in jellies and sours. Sweeteners like aspartame (E951) show up in sugar-free versions. Scan the pack and we name each one in plain English.
Check the additives on any UK label
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Scan any UK barcode and we list every E-number on the pack with what each one is and what the regulator says. Free download. Pro adds the full per-ingredient detail, vitamins, workouts and the AI Coach.
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