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Additives

Sodium Dehydroacetate (E266): What It Is and Is It Safe?

Limited risk Preservative · Antimicrobial

Sodium dehydroacetate is the water-soluble sodium salt of dehydroacetic acid, used as an antifungal preservative. It is not authorised as a food additive in the EU or GB, and several jurisdictions have recently narrowed or removed its permitted uses over incomplete safety data. High-dose animal studies have reported organ toxicity.

Category
Preservative — Antimicrobial
Typically used in
Antifungal preservative in some non-EU products such as pickles and cured foods.
Regulatory status
Not authorised as a food additive in the EU.

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Sources

Where this comes from

  1. Food Standards Agency (2024) — Approved additives and E numbers https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers
Products

Products containing Sodium Dehydroacetate

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