What an E-number actually tells you
An E-number just means an additive has passed EU safety assessment and been given a code — E330 is citric acid, E120 is an insect-derived red. The prefix signals regulation, not danger; what matters is which specific additive it is and what the evidence says about it.
Ingredo.app never scores an additive by its E-number alone. It reuses the additive and allergen analysis Open Food Facts already computes, keyed by the language-independent E-number, and layers our own cited flags on top — so the same code is treated identically whether the label is in Greek or English.
That means the useful question isn't “does this have E-numbers?” but “which ones, and do any carry a regulatory warning, a declarable-allergen status, or a clash with my profile?” The tiers below are how we think about that.
The additives that carry a real warning
A handful of additives come with genuine regulatory strings attached. Six synthetic colours — tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), azorubine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124) and allura red (E129) — must, under EU law, carry the warning that they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children,” following the 2007 Southampton study.
Sulphites (E220–E228) are one of the EU's 14 declarable allergens once they exceed 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L, and the nitrites (E249/E250) used to cure processed meats sit behind the WHO's classification of processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen. These aren't reasons to panic — they're real, cited flags rather than vibes.
The additives that sound scary but usually aren't
Plenty of intimidating-looking codes are, by the weight of evidence, benign. Citric acid (E330) is a natural part of the Krebs cycle, produced industrially by fermentation; ascorbic acid (E300) is simply vitamin C, used as an antioxidant. Both are approved without any activity/attention warning.
Even the additives with the worst reputations are more nuanced than the headlines. EFSA set a safe daily intake for the flavour enhancer MSG (E621), and in 2023 JECFA reaffirmed aspartame's (E951) acceptable daily intake of 40 mg per kg of body weight — while IARC classed it as “possibly carcinogenic,” the same category as aloe vera extract. Aspartame does, however, carry a mandatory warning for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).
How Ingredo.app tiers an additive
Regulatory status sets the generic flag; your active profile can turn an otherwise-fine additive into a hard block.
Hard block
- Titanium dioxide (E171) — withdrawn as an EU food additive since 2022
- Animal-derived additives when a Vegan profile is active (e.g. carmine E120, gelatin E441)
Carries a warning or affects some people
- The six Southampton colours (E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129) — child activity/attention warning
- Sulphites (E220–E228) — a declarable allergen above 10 mg/kg
- Aspartame (E951) — mandatory PKU warning
Benign by the evidence
- Citric acid (E330) and ascorbic acid / vitamin C (E300)
- Additives with an established safe intake and no mandatory warning