Every insect-derived E-number, and where it appears
Four E-number entries in the food additive system are insect-derived: E120 (carmine, from cochineal scale insects), E901 (beeswax, from honeybees), E904 (shellac, from the lac bug) and E236–E238 (formic acid and formates, found naturally in ants but almost always synthesised industrially).
The complete list
| E-number | Name | Insect | Common aliases | Vegan | Typical halal ruling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E120 | Carmine / cochineal | Dactylopius coccus scale insect | Carminic acid, Crimson Lake, Natural Red 4, CI 75470 | No | Haram by IFANCA, JAKIM, MUI, ESMA |
| E901 | Beeswax | Honeybee | Cera alba, cera flava, white/yellow beeswax | No | Generally permitted |
| E904 | Shellac | Lac bug Kerria lacca | Confectioner's glaze, resinous glaze, candy glaze, natural glaze | No | Disputed between certifiers |
| E236 | Formic acid | Naturally in ants; industrially synthesised | Methanoic acid | Usually yes (synthetic) | Generally permitted |
| E237 | Sodium formate | As above | None | Usually yes | Generally permitted |
| E238 | Calcium formate | As above | None | Usually yes | Generally permitted |
On the formates: these are grouped here because formic acid is present in ant venom, and that fact circulates widely online. In practice, food-grade formic acid is manufactured chemically, not extracted from ants. Include them in your mental list for completeness, but they are not the ones to worry about. E236–E238 are also restricted to limited applications in the EU.
The three that matter
E120 carmine is the most common and the most consequential. It is made from crushed insects, it appears in a very wide range of everyday products, and it is the one that halal and kosher authorities exclude.
E904 shellac is the best-hidden, because "confectioner's glaze" and "natural glaze" do not sound like an insect product to anyone.
E901 beeswax is the least contentious. Most people know what beeswax is. It only surprises people when it appears on a product they assumed was vegan.
Beyond E-numbers: whole insects
The additive list above is the traditional problem. Since 2021, a second category has appeared: whole insects authorised as novel foods in the EU. These do not have E-numbers. They are ingredients, not additives, and they are declared by species name:
- Acheta domesticus, the house cricket
- Tenebrio molitor, the yellow mealworm
- Alphitobius diaperinus, the lesser mealworm / buffalo worm
- Locusta migratoria, the migratory locust
If you are checking a label for insects, you need both lists. An app that only knows E-numbers will miss cricket powder entirely.
Animal-derived but not insect
Frequently confused with the list above:
- E441 gelatin: cattle or pig hide and bone
- E542 bone phosphate: animal bone
- E1105 lysozyme: egg white
- E920 L-cysteine: feathers, hair, or synthetic
- E471 mono- and diglycerides: plant oil or animal fat, undeclared
- E153 vegetable carbon: despite the name, historically sometimes from bone char
Checking a real product
Six E-numbers, plus four Latin species names, plus a dozen aliases. That is a memory task, and memory tasks fail in supermarkets.
A barcode scan returns every additive by name and code. Where the product is not catalogued, the ingredient scan reads the printed list with the camera, which is how you check anything own-brand or imported.
Frequently asked
Are there insects in food colouring?
One food colouring is made from insects: E120, carmine, from crushed cochineal scale insects. Other red colourings such as beetroot red (E162) and anthocyanins (E163) are plant-derived.
Is E120 the only insect E-number?
No. E901 (beeswax) and E904 (shellac) are also insect-derived, and E236–E238 are formates associated with ants although they are industrially synthesised. E120 is the one people most often mean.