Potassium chloride and other chlorides as food additives
What it found
The authors found that chloride from these additives does not raise a safety concern at the reported use levels.
They set a reference value of 40 mg chloride per kg body weight per day.
What they found
Studies in people
How much people take in
Average intake from these additives ranged from 2 mg per kg body weight per day in the elderly to 42 mg per kg body weight per day in toddlers. The highest intakes ranged from 5 mg per kg body weight per day in the elderly to 71 mg per kg body weight per day in toddlers.
Reference value
The Panel identified a human dose of 40 mg chloride per kg body weight per day as a reference value. Average exposure in all age groups was below or at this value, but the highest intakes in toddlers, children and adolescents were slightly above it.
Animal and lab studies
Acute toxicity
The Panel considered chlorides to be of low acute oral toxicity.
Genetic damage and cancer
The Panel found no concern for damage to genetic material or cancer.
Developmental studies in rats
No effects were reported in developmental toxicity studies in rats given magnesium chloride hexahydrate at 800 mg per kg body weight per day.
Studies in people and animals
Blood pressure
Some animal studies suggested a role of chloride in increasing blood pressure, but the Panel considered human data more appropriate to identify a level of chloride intake that does not raise a safety concern.
Other findings
Chloride in the body
Chloride is an essential nutrient and after absorption is distributed to organs and tissues.
What the authors conclude
“The Panel concluded that the exposure to chloride from hydrochloric acid and its potassium, calcium and magnesium salts (E 507, E 508, E 509 and E 511) does not raise a safety concern at the reported use and use levels.”
Also in their conclusions
- They concluded that the exposure to chloride from hydrochloric acid and its potassium, calcium and magnesium salts (E 507, E 508, E 509 and E 511) does not raise a safety concern at the reported use and use levels.
How it was done
The authors re-evaluated the safety of chlorides as food additives to check whether current exposure levels are of concern.
They looked at how much chloride people of different ages take in from these additives and reviewed animal and human data on its effects.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This paper cannot show what happens at intakes above the reference value over long periods.
- It cannot show whether the highest intakes in some age groups cause any health effects.
The paper
- Title
- Re-evaluation of hydrochloric acid (E 507), potassium chloride (E 508), calcium chloride (E 509) and magnesium chloride (E 511) as food additives
- Type
- Scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), Younes M, Aquilina G, et al (2019). Re-evaluation of hydrochloric acid (E 507), potassium chloride (E 508), calcium chloride (E 509) and magnesium chloride (E 511) as food additives. EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5751Free full textPubMed 32626371DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error