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E221Antioxidant · Preservative

Sodium sulphite

What the research shows

Prototype

Concerning

in animal and lab studies only

2 of 2 health findings on this page · See the findings

A white, water-soluble solid, a sodium salt of sulfurous acid.

Written from Open Food Facts and English Wikipedia12

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Animal and lab studies only

  • Concern

    Liver cell health3

    In lab studies, sodium sulphite changed liver cells, slowed their growth and caused them to die off.

  • 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 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 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

  1. 1Sodium sulphite: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Sodium sulfite. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026.
  3. 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
  4. 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