E579
Iron gluconate
What the research shows
PrototypeNo concerns
none of the findings here link it to harm
2 health findings on this page, all in people · See the findings
What research says
Studies in people
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Benefit
Fortified food and anemia3
In toddlers, baby food with ferrous gluconate had an acceptable beneficial effect on iron markers.
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Benefit
Anemia in young children4
Toddlers who drank milk with iron gluconate added were less likely to be anemic after six months.
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 two findings in people. 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.
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
United States Permitted FDA 21 CFR 73.160
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European Union Permitted EUR-Lex Reg. (EC) 1333/2008
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United Kingdom Permitted FSA retained EU law
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Canada Permitted Health Canada · Other Accepted Uses
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.
How we checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 905 products on Open Food Facts that list iron gluconate.
- Pitted Ripe Olives Crespo · 425 g 1 additive
- Pitted Black Olives in Brine Baresa · 340 g 1 additive
- Pitted Black Olives Tesco · 330 g 1 additive
- Mediterranean Inspired Couscous Tesco · 110 g 4 additives
- Black pitted olives in brine Sainsburys 1 additive
- Mega Med Grains Jamie Oliver 4 additives
References
- 1iron gluconate: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
- 2Iron(II) gluconate. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026.
- 3Shamah-Levy T, Villalpando S, Rivera-Dommarco JA, Mundo-Rosas V, Cuevas-Nasu L, Jiménez-Aguilar A. Ferrous gluconate and ferrous sulfate added to a complementary food distributed by the Mexican nutrition program Oportunidades have a comparable efficacy to reduce iron deficiency in toddlers. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2008;47(5):660-6. doi:10.1097/mpg.0b013e318167b03b
- 4Villalpando S, Shamah T, Rivera JA, Lara Y, Monterrubio E. Fortifying milk with ferrous gluconate and zinc oxide in a public nutrition program reduced the prevalence of anemia in toddlers. J Nutr. 2006;136(10):2633-7. doi:10.1093/jn/136.10.2633