E296
Malic acid
What the research shows
No concerns
none of the findings here link it to harm
What research says
Studies in people
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No harm found
Fibromyalgia pain and mood3
In people with fibromyalgia, taking malic acid with magnesium made little or no difference to pain or low mood.
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Benefit
Kidney stone risk4
In people, malic acid raised urine pH and citrate, which may help prevent calcium kidney stones.
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), 1969
No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
United States Permitted FDA 21 CFR 184.1069
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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 · Adjusting Agents
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.
How we checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 14,048 products on Open Food Facts that list malic acid.
- Sablés Anglais L'Original McVitie's · 400 g 3 additives
- Pringles sour cream & onion Pringles · 40 g 8 additives
- Pringles Sour Cream Pringles · 165 g 7 additives
- Wraps Multigrains Gruma · 370 g 4 additives
- Digestives The ORIGINAL McVitie's · 360 g 3 additives
- SNACK POPPÉ TOO GOOD · 85 g 2 additives
References
- 1Malic acid: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
- 2Malic acid. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 3Ferreira I, Ortigoza Á, Moore P. Magnesium and malic acid supplement for fibromyalgia. Medwave. 2019;19(4):e7633. doi:10.5867/medwave.2019.04.7632
- 4Rodgers AL, Webber D, de Charmoy R, Jackson GE, Ravenscroft N. Malic acid supplementation increases urinary citrate excretion and urinary pH: implications for the potential treatment of calcium oxalate stone disease. J Endourol. 2014;28(2):229-36. doi:10.1089/end.2013.0477