E385Antioxidant · Preservative · Sequestrant
Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate
What the research shows
Not enough
published research on this page yet
Used in food as an antioxidant, preservative or sequestrant.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- EU permitted
What research says
Animal and lab studies only
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Benefit
Iron absorption from coffee2
In lab studies, adding EDTA to iron-fortified coffee raised iron bioaccessibility from 17.40% to 24.14%, and its taste stayed largely similar.
How it’s made and used
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How much gets eaten1
Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate is added to food, and a new estimate says people eat much less of it than once thought.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
What expert reviews concluded
Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.
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UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1973
Acceptable daily intake: up to 2.5 mg per kg of body weight.
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
United States Permitted FDA 21 CFR 172.120
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European Union Permitted EUR-Lex Reg. (EC) 1333/2008
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United Kingdom Permitted FSA retained EU law
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.
How we checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 5,882 products on Open Food Facts that list calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate.
- Majoneesi HELLMANN'S · 400 g 1 additive
- mayonnaise hellmann’s · 750 ml / 705 g, approx. 50 portions 2 additives
- Seriously Good Mayonnaise Heinz · 775 g 1 additive
- heinz mayo Heinz · 400 ml 1 additive
- Mayonnaise Hellmann’s · 404 g (430 ml), approx. 28 portions 2 additives
- Real Mayonnaise Hellmann's · 545 g 2 additives
References
- 1Whittaker P, Vanderveen JE, Dinovi MJ, Kuznesof PM, Dunkel VC. Toxicological profile, current use, and regulatory issues on EDTA compounds for assessing use of sodium iron EDTA for food fortification. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1993;18(3):419-27. doi:10.1006/rtph.1993.1067
- 2Bevahalli Srinivasappa Y, Biswal VL, Rama Chaudhari S, Jagannath Haware D, Kumar Yannam S, Srinivas Murthy P. EDTA enabled chelation for stability and sensory quality in iron enriched coffee. Food Chem. 2026;522:149681. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.149681