E-number checker: what every code on the label means

What the "E" means

The E stands for Europe. An E-number means the additive has been assessed and approved for use in the EU (and, post-Brexit, retained in Great Britain). It is a bureaucratic identifier and nothing more, a filing code rather than a grade.

The practical benefit is real, though: E120 is E120 in nine languages. On a Spanish label where you cannot read a single ingredient, the E-numbers still tell you what you need to know. That makes them the single most useful thing on a foreign food label.

The ranges, in order

E100–E199: Colours

Where most of the controversy sits. Includes E100 curcumin (turmeric, entirely benign), E120 carmine (crushed cochineal insects), the azo dyes E102 / E110 / E122 / E124 / E129 which must carry a child-attention warning in the EU, and E171 titanium dioxide, which the EU removed from the permitted list in 2022.

E200–E299: Preservatives

E211 sodium benzoate is the common one in soft drinks; it can form small amounts of benzene when combined with vitamin C under heat and light. E250 sodium nitrite cures processed meat and is the reason bacon is pink.

E300–E399: Antioxidants and acidity regulators

Mostly unremarkable. E300 is ascorbic acid, which is to say vitamin C. E338 phosphoric acid gives cola its bite; the concern raised about it is bone-mineral density at high chronic intake, not acute toxicity.

E400–E499: Thickeners, stabilisers, emulsifiers

The ambiguous range, and the one that causes the most anxiety for people with dietary rules. E441 is gelatin, from cattle or pig. E471 mono- and diglycerides can come from plant oil or animal fat, and the label is not required to say which. E407 carrageenan comes from seaweed and is under active scientific debate about gut inflammation.

E500–E599: Anti-caking and acidity regulators

Mostly mineral salts. E542 edible bone phosphate is the one to know: it is exactly what it sounds like.

E600–E699: Flavour enhancers

E621 monosodium glutamate dominates this range and its reputation. Glutamate occurs naturally in parmesan, tomatoes and mushrooms; blinded trials have not reliably reproduced "Chinese restaurant syndrome". Some people still report a consistent reaction, and that deserves respect without needing to be universal.

E900–E999: Glazing agents, sweeteners, gases

E901 beeswax, E903 carnauba wax (plant-derived, the vegan alternative), E904 shellac (lac-bug resin). E951 aspartame sits here too.

Three questions to ask about any E-number

Rather than memorising a list, ask these:

1. What is it made from? This is the question that matters for vegan, halal, kosher and allergy purposes, and it is the one the label almost never answers. E471 is the classic case.
2. Is it restricted anywhere? Regulatory divergence is informative. E171 is banned in EU food but permitted in the US. E128 was withdrawn EU-wide.
3. Does it carry a mandated warning? The azo dyes must, by law, state that they may affect activity and attention in children. That is the regulator telling you something directly.

Using the checker in practice

Scan the barcode and every additive in the product is identified. If the product is not in the database, which is common with supermarket own-brands and regional products, switch to ingredient scan and photograph the printed list. Because E-numbers are a fixed numeric code, they survive photo recognition better than almost any other text on a label.