What do E-numbers in an ingredient list mean?
An E-number is the EU code for a food additive. What stands behind it, who decides on authorisation and why the code is not a rating of a product. Based on EFSA and the Commission.
Author: Lulyo
On this page
Short answer
An E-number is the code the EU uses to identify a food additive (EFSA). In the EU, additives must be authorised and listed with conditions of use in a positive list (European Commission). The number tells you which substance it is; it is not a rating of the product that contains it.
Details
What an E-number is
According to EFSA, in the EU all food additives are identified by an E-number. A label names an additive either by that number or by its name.1 The European Commission adds that EU law defines 26 "technological purposes" for additives; its examples include colours, preservatives and antioxidants.2
Who decides on authorisation
- European Commission: all additives in the EU must be authorised and listed with conditions of use in a positive list.
- EFSA: the Commission and Member States decide on approval, and EFSA, at the Commission's request, carries out risk assessments and gives scientific advice.1
- Re-evaluation: EFSA is required to re-evaluate all additives authorised before 20 January 2009. As of 2 November 2026 the EFSA page said more than 70% of 315 additives had been re-evaluated.1
What an E-number does not mean
The number is not a rating of a product: it only identifies a substance. An E-number in a list does not make a product better or worse than another, and we draw no such conclusion. For each additive our reference shows names in five languages, the function and what our rating rules say about it, with sources. Where there is no rule, it says so; we do not yet record EU authorisation conditions or EFSA opinions for each additive.
How to use this
Found an E-number in a puree or biscuit? Open it in the reference or paste the whole list into the check. On the rest of the label: How to read the ingredients on baby puree. On the separate topic of processing: What NOVA is.
Limits of this article
This summarises third-party sources and is not medical advice. We do not rate specific products or brands.
More questions
Who decides which additives are allowed?
According to EFSA, the European Commission and EU Member States decide on the approval of additives on the EU market, and EFSA gives scientific advice. The Commission says all additives in the EU must be authorised and listed with conditions of use in a positive list.
Are authorised additives reviewed again?
EFSA is required to re-evaluate all additives authorised before 20 January 2009. On our check date (2 November 2026) the EFSA page said more than 70% of 315 additives had been re-evaluated; that figure changes, so see EFSA for the current one.
Where can I look up a specific additive?
Our additive reference gives names in five languages, the function and what our rating rules say, with sources. Where there is no rule, the page says so.
Sources
- Food additives (opens in a new tab)European Food Safety AuthorityBack to the text
- Food additives (opens in a new tab)European CommissionBack to the text
This summarises third-party sources and is not medical advice. We do not rate specific products or brands.