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Preservative

E221 (sodium sulphite): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E221 is sodium sulphite, a preservative. E221 can come from a lab or minerals. Vegan and vegetarian profiles get Fits you.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

Fits you

for a vegan profile

E221=a lab or minerals

What is E221?

E221 (sodium sulphite) is a preservative, an additive that makes a food keep longer by protecting it from microbes. Sulphites above 10 mg per kg or litre must be declared as an allergen in the EU and UK.

Full guide: Sulphites

What is E221 made from?

E221 can come from a lab or minerals.

  • Made in a lab
  • Minerals

Is E221 vegan?

Fits you. E221 can come from a lab or minerals. Nothing from an animal.

What the app says to each profile, and the reason it shows.

VeganFits youE221 can come from a lab or minerals. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE221 can come from a lab or minerals. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E221 have on a label?

On a label, E221 can also appear as “INS 221”, “Preservative (221)”, “Preservative (E221)”, “Sodium sulphite” or “Sodium sulfite”.

Any of these on a pack means E221. The checker reads them all.

E221E 221E-221INS 221Preservative (221)Preservative (E221)Sodium sulphiteSodium sulfite

What would change the answer for E221?

For E221, only the ingredient list itself: a code the camera cannot read gets Needs one more scan, and the app never guesses a code it cannot see.

Sources: EU, US and Codex additive rules

Where additives are listed and approved. Bravoora reads the source and the diet; it does not rate the hazard.

  1. EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (the E-number list)
  2. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II: the allergen sources a label must name
  3. US FDA: Food Additive Status List
  4. FAO/WHO Codex: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) online

Names and classes cross-checked with Open Food Facts (Open Database License).

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