Raising Agents — Complete E-Number Guide
Raising Agents are food additives (E500–E599) that make doughs and batters rise by releasing gas. They are found in many everyday foods including cakes, biscuits, self-raising flour, bread and baking mixes. This guide covers every raising agent E-number with its safety, vegan and halal status at a glance.
| E-Number | Name | Safety | Vegan | Halal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E450 | Diphosphates | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E500 | Sodium Carbonates | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E501 | Potassium Carbonates | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E503 | Ammonium Carbonates | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E541 | Sodium Aluminium Phosphate | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E575 | Glucono-Delta-Lactone | Safe | Yes | Halal |
What do raising agents do?
Additives in the raising agents group make doughs and batters rise by releasing gas. 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 raising agents
On UK and EU labels these additives appear with their function and E-number or name — for example "raising agent: E450". 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.
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Additive data sourced from Open Food Facts (ODbL licence) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).