What is E471? Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids Explained
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E471 is Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids — mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids — an extremely common emulsifier found in bread, margarine, chocolate and hundreds of other products; can be plant or animal-derived.
What is E471 (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids)?
E471 is Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, a food additive classified as a emulsifier that keep oil and water mixed and improve texture. Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids — an extremely common emulsifier found in bread, margarine, chocolate and hundreds of other products; can be plant or animal-derived. You'll find it in bread, margarine and spreads, chocolate and many other packaged foods. Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids is one of the better-known food additives and appears regularly in label-reading guides and dietary discussions. Like every E-number, E471 has been authorised for use in food following an EFSA safety evaluation — though authorisation doesn't mean concern-free, as the safety section below explains.
Where is E471 found?
E471 (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids) is found in bread, margarine and spreads, chocolate, ice cream, salad dressings, mayonnaise.
- bread
- margarine and spreads
- chocolate
- ice cream
- salad dressings
- mayonnaise
Is E471 safe?
EFSA has reviewed E471 and considers it safe for human consumption at the levels used in food. No credible evidence links Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids to harm at normal dietary intakes.
EFSA opinion: Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids — status Safe.
Check the calorie content of foods containing E471. If you’re pregnant, see our pregnancy food safety guide.
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E471 FAQs
What is E471 in food?
E471 is Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids — mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids — an extremely common emulsifier found in bread, margarine, chocolate and hundreds of other products; can be plant or animal-derived.
Is E471 safe to eat?
EFSA has reviewed E471 and considers it safe for human consumption at the levels used in food. No credible evidence links Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids to harm at normal dietary intakes.
Is E471 vegan?
E471 (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids) may or may not be vegan — it depends on the source used by the manufacturer.
Is E471 halal?
E471 (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids) is MASHBOOH — its halal status is doubtful and depends on the source used.
Why E471 is in almost everything
Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are formed by combining glycerol with fatty acids — the same basic building blocks that make up ordinary fats and oils, just rearranged into a molecule that's part water-loving and part fat-loving. That dual nature is exactly what makes it useful: it lets oil and water mix and stay mixed, which is the entire job of an emulsifier. It's genuinely one of the most common food additives in the world — Open Food Facts, the same public database this site's additive data comes from, lists E471 in over 53,000 individual products and more than 11,600 brands worldwide, spanning bread, margarine, ice cream, whipped toppings, peanut butter, coffee creamer and chocolate. If you've eaten packaged bread or ice cream recently, there's a good chance E471 was in it.
Why the vegan and halal answer is genuinely 'it depends'
The fatty acids in E471 can come from plant oils (soybean, palm, sunflower, canola) or from animal fat (usually beef tallow or pork lard) — and once processed into the finished additive, the two are chemically indistinguishable. That's the real source of the uncertainty: it isn't that manufacturers are being cagey, it's that the finished ingredient genuinely doesn't carry a chemical signature of where the fat came from, so the label is the only source of truth, and a plain, unqualified ‘E471’ or ‘mono- and diglycerides’ on the label doesn't tell you which. In practice, a large share of commercially produced E471 is plant or palm-oil based, but that isn't a guarantee for every product, and there's no way to be certain from an unqualified label alone.
What EFSA's evaluation actually covers
E471 is authorised across the EU under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, with purity specifications set out in Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. EFSA's own re-evaluation focused mainly on how the body processes it: mono- and diglycerides are broken down by digestive enzymes in the gut in much the same way as ordinary dietary fat, and studies cited in that evaluation found the breakdown products were well absorbed (over 97% in one study). The additive is treated more like a food component than an exotic chemical once it reaches the digestive system — consistent with the fact that its raw materials (glycerol and fatty acids) are the same molecules found in any dietary fat.
Common myths about E471, checked against the evidence
“E471 is a synthetic chemical unrelated to real food”
Not accurate. E471 is built from glycerol and fatty acids — the same molecules that make up ordinary fats and oils. The additive is a rearrangement of food components, not a lab-invented compound with no relationship to food.
“If a product doesn't say 'animal-derived', E471 in it must be vegan”
The reverse assumption is safer. Because a plain, unqualified ‘E471’ or ‘mono- and diglycerides’ on the label doesn't confirm the source either way, a strict vegan should treat it as uncertain rather than assuming it's safe by default. Look instead for ‘of vegetable origin’ wording, a vegan certification logo, or contact the manufacturer directly.
Further reading
Related Emulsifiers additives
Also check: safe for cats? · safe for dogs? · calorie checker · medication interactions
Data: Open Food Facts (ODbL) · EFSA