FibreChews

What it is. A sugar alcohol, about half as sweet as sugar, which also holds moisture.

Why it is used. Used in sugar free sweets and gum, and to keep baked goods soft.

What the evidence says. Not a toxicity question at all. Sugar alcohols are poorly absorbed, so a large amount draws water into the gut and has a laxative effect. That is well established, predictable and dose dependent, which is why the label has to say so.

Permitted. Foods with more than 10 per cent polyols must carry the statement that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.

Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E420

What it is. Fat derived emulsifiers, closely related to ordinary dietary fats.

Why it is used. One of the most used additives in food: bread, margarine, ice cream, cakes and sauces.

What the evidence says. The body handles these much as it handles other fats, and EFSA's re-evaluation raised no safety concern at the levels used. They sit in the same broad emulsifier and gut microbiome research question as the others, which remains unsettled.

Permitted without a numerical limit. The fat source is not always stated, which matters for some diets rather than for safety.

Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E471

What it is. A calorie free intense sweetener, often blended with other sweeteners to round out taste.

Why it is used. Used in diet drinks, dairy and confectionery.

What the evidence says. Long treated as safe by regulators. Some recent research on sweeteners and the gut microbiome is ongoing, but nothing has changed the official safety position.

Permitted with an acceptable daily intake in all three regions.

Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E950

What it is. An intense sweetener around 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in tiny amounts.

Why it is used. Sweetens diet drinks, sugar free gum and low calorie desserts.

What the evidence says. In 2023 IARC listed it as possibly carcinogenic, its weakest evidence tier. At the same time the expert intake committee JECFA kept the safe daily limit unchanged, noting you would need a very high daily intake to approach it, roughly a dozen or more cans of diet drink a day for an adult. So headline scary, practically low concern for normal use.

Permitted with an acceptable daily intake. People with the condition PKU must avoid it, which is why packs carry a phenylalanine note.

Assessed against IARC, JECFA, EFSA. Full entry for E951

What it is. An intense sweetener made from sugar, around 600 times sweeter, so it is used in very small amounts.

Why it is used. Sweetens diet drinks, tabletop sweeteners, dairy and baked goods.

What the evidence says. Regulators have treated it as safe for decades and the acceptable daily intake has not changed. Newer laboratory work on a breakdown product, and the general question of sweeteners and the gut microbiome, keep it under discussion, but that work is early and has not moved any official position.

Permitted with an acceptable daily intake in all three regions.

Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E955

What it is. A mild acid found naturally in citrus fruit, made commercially by fermentation.

Why it is used. Adds tartness, balances flavour and helps preserve. One of the most used additives in food.

What the evidence says. Safe at food levels. No credible health concern for the additive itself.

Permitted freely.

Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E330