Rosemary extract E 392 intake estimated from food additive use
What it found
The highest average daily intake of rosemary extract from its use as a food additive was 0.09 mg per kg body weight in children aged 3 to 9.
The authors say this likely overestimates real intake.
What they found
Intake from additive use
The highest average daily intake was 0.09 mg per kg body weight in children aged 3 to 9. The highest 95th percentile was 0.20 mg per kg body weight, also in children.
Intake likely overestimated
The authors say the intake estimates very likely overestimate real intake. This is because they assumed all foods in a category contained the additive, while label data showed it was used in only a small percentage of products.
Intake from herbs
Intake of carnosic acid and carnosol from natural diet, meaning herbs, was estimated at up to 1.66 mg per kg body weight per day at the 95th percentile in toddlers.
Margins of safety
Margins of safety were estimated at 100 to 2,000 for children and 200 to 3,000 for adults. These are higher than the values calculated in 2015.
Foods containing it
Rosemary extract was labelled on more than 4,700 products between January 2013 and February 2018. The main product types were dry soup, pizzas and stocks.
What the authors conclude
“Taking uncertainties into account, the Panel concluded that these exposure estimates very likely overestimate the real exposure to extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as a food additive according to Annex II.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the intake estimates very likely overestimate the real exposure to extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as a food additive according to Annex II.
- They note that if actual practice changes, these refined estimates may no longer be representative and should be updated.
- They also note that exposure from Annex III uses was not considered in the assessment.
How it was done
The European Commission asked EFSA to re-check how much rosemary extract people take in from its use as a food additive, using updated use levels from industry.
The authors combined food consumption data from 33 dietary surveys in 19 European countries with use levels reported by industry for rosemary extract in foods. They estimated daily intake for infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.
What it can’t tell you
- This assessment estimates intake from food additive use only. It does not measure health effects in people.
- The estimates rely on use levels reported by industry and on assumptions about how much of each food category contains the additive.
The paper
- Title
- Refined exposure assessment of extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as food additive
- Type
- Scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY-ND. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (EFSA ANS Panel), Younes M, Aggett P, et al (2018). Refined exposure assessment of extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as food additive. EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5373Free full textPubMed 32626018DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error