E222Antioxidant · Preservative

Sodium bisulphite

What the research shows

Prototype

Not enough

published research on this page yet

1 health finding on this page so far · See the findings

Used in food as an antioxidant or preservative.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Animal and lab studies only

  • Concern

    Gut inflammation1

    In lab and animal studies, sodium bisulphite raised gut inflammation, and vitamin B6 seemed to reduce it.

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

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 1,764 products on Open Food Facts that list sodium bisulphite.

  • Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce Huy Fong Foods · 482 g 4 additives
  • SRIRACHA HOT CHILI SAUCE Huy Fong Foods · 793 g 2 additives
  • Blackcurrant Squash Ribena · 850 ml 7 additives
  • Ribena Hitachino · 1.5 L 6 additives
  • Buttery Homestyle Mashed Potatoes Idahoan · 1.36 kg 4 additives
  • Hashbrown Potatoes Idaho Spuds · 119gx1 1 additive

References

  1. 1Wu W, Fu G, Xuan R, et al. Food additive sodium bisulfite induces intracellular imbalance of biothiols levels in NCM460 colonic cells to trigger intestinal inflammation in mice. Toxicol Lett. 2022;359:73-83. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.01.019