Preservatives — Complete E-Number Guide

Preservatives are food additives (E200–E299) that prevent spoilage by stopping the growth of bacteria, moulds and yeasts. They are found in many everyday foods including soft drinks, dried fruit, processed meats, sauces, baked goods and wine. This guide covers every preservative E-number with its safety, vegan and halal status at a glance.

What do preservatives do?

Additives in the preservatives group prevent spoilage by stopping the growth of bacteria, moulds and yeasts. Without them, many everyday products would spoil faster, separate, lose texture or look unappetising — which is why they appear in so many ingredients lists. Every additive in this table has been through EFSA's authorisation process, but as the safety column shows, "authorised" doesn't always mean "concern-free": some carry conditions, warnings or ongoing debates, and each entry links to a full breakdown.

Checking labels for preservatives

On UK and EU labels these additives appear with their function and E-number or name — for example "preservative: E200". Tap any E-number in the table for its complete profile: what it is, where it's found, whether it's safe, and its vegan, vegetarian, halal and palm-oil status.

Additive data sourced from Open Food Facts (ODbL licence) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).