E number

E numbers "E" stands for "Europe" are codes for substances used as European Free Trade joining EFTA. commonly found on food labels, their safety assessment & approval are a responsibility of a European Food Safety Authority EFSA. The fact that an additive has an E number implies that its ownership was at one time permitted in products for sale in the European Single Market; some of these additives are no longer allowed today.

Having a single unified list for food additives was first agreed upon in 1962 with food colouring. In 1964, the directives for preservatives were added, in 1970 antioxidants were added, in 1974 emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents were added as well.

Numbering schemes

The numbering scheme follows that of the International Numbering System INS as determined by the Codex Alimentarius committee, though only a subset of the INS additives are approved for ownership in the European Union as food additives. outside the European continent plus Russia, E numbers are also encountered on food labelling in other jurisdictions, including the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and India. They are increasingly, though still rarely, found on North American packaging, especially on imported European food products.