Dairy-Free Ingredients — Which E-Numbers Come From Milk?

Only a handful of E-numbers can involve dairy — but two or three catch people out. Here are the additives dairy-free and milk-allergic label-readers should know.

Lactitol (E966) is made from lactose, so it is always milk-derived. Lactic acid (E270) and the lactates (E325–E327) sound dairy but almost never are — they're made by fermenting plant sugars, though the fermentation medium can occasionally involve dairy, which matters for severe milk allergy. Nisin (E234) is produced by fermentation traditionally on dairy-based media. Riboflavin (E101) can historically be milk-sourced but is now made by fermentation.

For milk allergy (as opposed to lactose intolerance or dairy-free preference), remember milk is a declared allergen: any deliberate milk-derived ingredient must be labelled. The additives above are edge cases worth knowing rather than everyday risks.

Additives that can involve dairy

Additive data sourced from Open Food Facts (ODbL licence) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This page is for general information and does not provide medical or dietary advice.