Additive Index 2026

Original study of 518 food additives mapped by category, risk level, and EU/US regulatory status.

Last updated: 2026-07-01 · Sources & methodology

85.7%

Safe

444 additives

9.3%

Caution

48 additives

Avoid

26 additives

EU/US discrepancies

divergent regulatory status

1. Distribution by category

The 518 additives are split into 9 functional categories. The predominant category is thickeners, stabilisers, emulsifiers with 95 additives (18.3%).

thickeners, stabilisers, emulsifiers

95 (18.3%)

antioxidants, acidity regulators

76 (14.7%)

acidity regulators, anti-caking agents

70 (13.5%)

glazing agents, gases and sweeteners

68 (13.1%)

colours

66 (12.7%)

preservatives

58 (11.2%)

additional additives

49 (9.5%)

flavour enhancers

20 (3.9%)

antibiotics

16 (3.1%)

2. EU vs US regulatory status

European Union

approved452 (87.3%)
restricted5 (1.0%)
banned21 (4.1%)
not approved40 (7.7%)

United States

approved30 (5.8%)
not evaluated440 (84.9%)
banned14 (2.7%)
restricted3 (0.6%)
not approved31 (6.0%)

3. Top EU-restricted additives

5 additives with restricted use or warning label required in EU. Click for details.

E104 · Quinoline Yellow WS E110 · Sunset Yellow FCF (Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow 6)E124 · Ponceau 4R (Cochineal Red A, Brilliant Scarlet 4R)E160d · Lycopene E927a · Azodicarbonamide

4. EU/US discrepancies

20 additives where EU and US regulatory status diverge. Representative examples:

E-code	Name	EU	US
E110	Sunset Yellow FCF (Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow 6)	restricted	approved
E121	Citrus Red 2	not_approved	approved
E122	Carmoisine (azorubine)	approved	banned
E123	Amaranth (FD&C Red 2)	approved	banned
E125	Ponceau SX, Scarlet GN	approved	restricted
E127	Erythrosine (FD&C Red 3)	approved	banned
E143	Fast Green FCF (FD&C Green 3)	banned	approved
E153	Vegetable carbon	approved	banned
E160a	Alpha-carotene, Beta-carotene, Gamma-carotene	approved	restricted
E160d	Lycopene	restricted	approved
E161g	Canthaxanthin	not_approved	approved
E171	Titanium dioxide	not_approved	approved
E172	Iron oxides and iron hydroxides	approved	restricted
E480	Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate	not_approved	approved
E704	Oleandomycin	banned	not_approved

5. Methodology

All data is derived from the FoodReveal database (518 additives mapped to authoritative sources). Risk classification based on EFSA re-evaluations 2011-2024, FDA 21 CFR, and JECFA opinions. Additives with "unknown" status or no tier-1 source are excluded from aggregate statistics.

View all authoritative sources →

How to cite this study

FoodReveal. (2026). Additive Index 2026: 518 E-Numbers mapped to EFSA, FDA, Codex sources.
Retrieved from https://foodreveal.app/en/studies/additive-index-2026