E221Antioxidant · Preservative
Sodium sulphite
What the research shows
Concerning
in animal and lab studies only
What research says
Animal and lab studies only
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Concern
Liver cell health3
In lab studies, sodium sulphite changed liver cells, slowed their growth and caused them to die off.
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Concern
Immune response4
In lab studies, sodium sulphite weakened the immune response in human blood cells.
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. IARC rates whether something can cause cancer at all, not how likely it is at the amounts in food.
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UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1998
Acceptable daily intake: up to 0.7 mg per kg of body weight.
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WHO cancer agency (IARC), 1991
For sulfites: not enough evidence to say whether it causes cancer in people (Group 3).
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
United States Permitted FDA 21 CFR 182.3798
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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 · Bleaching Maturing Dough Conditioning Agents
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.
How we checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 720 products on Open Food Facts that list sodium sulphite.
- Pork Sausages Heck! · 400 g 2 additives
- CHICKEN ITALIA 10 CHIPOLATAS HECK · 340 g 3 additives
- Simply Chicken 10 Chipolatas HECK · 340 g 3 additives
- Chipolatas Heck · 340 g 2 additives
- 6 premium pork sausages Black Farmer · 400 g 4 additives
- 6 Sausage Rashers HECK · 300 g 3 additives
References
- 1Sodium sulphite: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
- 2Sodium sulfite. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 3Han X, Zhu F, Chen L, Wu H, Wang T, Chen K. Mechanism analysis of toxicity of sodium sulfite to human hepatocytes L02. Mol Cell Biochem. 2020;473(1-2):25-37. doi:10.1007/s11010-020-03805-8
- 4Winkler C, Frick B, Schroecksnadel K, Schennach H, Fuchs D. Food preservatives sodium sulfite and sorbic acid suppress mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Food Chem Toxicol. 2006;44(12):2003-7. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2006.06.019