Sorbic acid: version 1

Saved 2026-09-13 11:13 by @benjaminsen (bot): created by discover: Added Kraft Singles American 16 Slices 12 oz (UPC 021000604647) from the wanted list. Identity confirmed by the barcode printed on the back label photo (Open Food Facts upload 15), the Kraft Heinz pro. Current is v2.

Changes from v1 to current

1	1		# Sorbic acid <!--ingredient-->
2	2
3	3		## Identity <!--identity-->
4	4		name: Sorbic acid
	5	+	e_number: E200
	6	+	vegan: yes
	7	+	vegetarian: yes
	8	+	allergen: none
5	9		<!--/identity-->
6	10
	11	+	## Aliases <!--aliases-->
	12	+	\| name \| type \| locale \| from \| until \|
	13	+	\| -------------------------------- \| -------- \| ------ \| ---- \| ----- \|
	14	+	\| E200 \| e_number \| \| \| \|
	15	+	\| E 200 \| search \| \| \| \|
	16	+	\| 2,4-Hexadienoic acid \| search \| en \| \| \|
	17	+	\| trans,trans-2,4-Hexadienoic acid \| search \| en \| \| \|
	18	+	<!--/aliases-->
	19	+
	20	+	## Meta <!--meta-->
	21	+	title: Sorbic acid (E200)
	22	+	description: The preservative E200: its EU specification, how it is made, and how European and United States labels declare it.
	23	+	<!--/meta-->
	24	+
7	25		## References <!--references-->
8		−	\| ref \| url \| title \| accessed \| publisher \| kind \| published \| record_id \| locator \| licence \| attribution \| upstream \|
9		−	\| ---------- \| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \| ---------- \| --------------- \| ---- \| ---------- \| ------------- \| ----------------- \| ------------ \| ---------------------------- \| ----------------------------------------------------- \|
10		−	\| label-2025 \| https://images.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/002/100/060/4647/15.jpg \| Open Food Facts photographs of the 12 oz pack: back label with ingredients, allergen statement, company block and UPC (upload 15); nutrition panel (upload 16) \| 2026-09-13 \| Open Food Facts \| pack \| 2025-12-28 \| 0021000604647 \| uploads 15 and 16 \| cc-by-sa-3.0 \| Open Food Facts contributors \| https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/0021000604647 \|
	26	+	\| ref \| url \| title \| accessed \| publisher \| kind \| published \| record_id \| locator \| licence \| attribution \| upstream \|
	27	+	\| ---------- \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------- \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \| ---------- \| ------------------------------------ \| ----------- \| ---------- \| ------------- \| ------------------------------------------ \| ------------ \| ---------------------------- \| ----------------------------------------------------- \|
	28	+	\| label-2025 \| https://images.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/002/100/060/4647/15.jpg \| Open Food Facts photographs of the 12 oz pack: back label with ingredients, allergen statement, company block and UPC (upload 15); nutrition panel (upload 16) \| 2026-09-13 \| Open Food Facts \| pack \| 2025-12-28 \| 0021000604647 \| uploads 15 and 16 \| cc-by-sa-3.0 \| Open Food Facts contributors \| https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/0021000604647 \|
	29	+	\| fsa \| https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers \| Food Standards Agency: Approved additives and E numbers \| 2026-09-14 \| Food Standards Agency \| registry \| \| \| Section 3 Preservatives, E200 Sorbic acid \| \| \| \|
	30	+	\| eu231 \| https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2012/231/annex/division/50/2020-12-31 \| Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, Annex: E 200 SORBIC ACID (text as it stood on 31 December 2020) \| 2026-09-14 \| legislation.gov.uk \| registry \| 2012-03-09 \| \| Annex, division 50 \| \| \| EUR-Lex \|
	31	+	\| eu1333 \| https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2008/1333/annex/II/part/B/2020-12-31 \| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II Part B list 3, additives other than colours and sweeteners: E 200 Sorbic acid (text as it stood on 31 December 2020) \| 2026-09-14 \| legislation.gov.uk \| registry \| 2008-12-16 \| \| Annex II, Part B, list 3 \| \| \| EUR-Lex \|
	32	+	\| eu1169c \| https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/VII/part/C/2020-12-31 \| Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex VII Part C: designation of certain ingredients by the name of their category followed by their specific name or E number \| 2026-09-14 \| legislation.gov.uk \| registry \| 2011-10-25 \| \| Annex VII, Part C, category Preservative \| \| \| EUR-Lex \|
	33	+	\| eu1169a2 \| https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/II/2020-12-31 \| Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: substances or products causing allergies or intolerances (text as it stood on 31 December 2020) \| 2026-09-14 \| legislation.gov.uk \| registry \| 2011-10-25 \| \| Annex II, the fourteen listed substances \| \| \| EUR-Lex \|
	34	+	\| cfr101 \| https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/101.22 \| 21 CFR 101.22: Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives \| 2026-09-14 \| Legal Information Institute, Cornell \| registry \| \| \| paragraph (j) \| \| \| e-CFR \|
	35	+	\| cfr182 \| https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/182.3089 \| 21 CFR 182.3089: Sorbic acid, a chemical preservative generally recognized as safe \| 2026-09-14 \| Legal Information Institute, Cornell \| registry \| \| \| Part 182 subpart D, chemical preservatives \| \| \| e-CFR \|
	36	+	\| wiki \| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbic_acid \| Wikipedia: Sorbic acid \| 2026-09-14 \| Wikipedia \| publication \| \| \| Production; History; Properties and uses \| \| \| \|
11	37		<!--/references-->
12	38
13	39		## About <!--about-->
14		−	Sorbic acid is declared as SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE on the United States label of Kraft Singles American photographed in 2025.[^label-2025]
	40	+	Sorbic acid is the organic acid 2,4-hexadienoic acid, an antimicrobial used to stop moulds, yeasts and fungi growing in cheese, baked goods, drinks, dried meats and sauces.[^wiki] The European Union authorises it as the additive E 200,[^eu1333] and the Food Standards Agency lists it among the approved preservatives.[^fsa] Its EU specification names it trans,trans-2,4-hexadienoic acid, Einecs 203-768-7, formula C6H8O2, molecular weight 112.12, of not less than 99 % assay on the anhydrous basis.[^eu231] The commercial route is the reaction of crotonaldehyde with ketene, a wholly synthetic synthesis with no animal or dairy input, so the additive is suitable for vegetarians and vegans,[^wiki] and it is not among the fourteen substances the EU requires to be declared as allergens.[^eu1169a2]
	41	+
	42	+	European labels declare a preservative by its category followed by the specific name or the E number, as "preservative (sorbic acid)" or "preservative (E200)",[^eu1169c] while United States labels must give both the common name and a description of the function: the 2025 Kraft Singles American pack prints SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE.[^cfr101][^label-2025] In the United States it is generally recognised as safe as a chemical preservative when used according to good manufacturing practice.[^cfr182] A. W. von Hofmann isolated the acid in 1859 by distilling rowanberry oil, which is where the name and the botanical Sorbus aucuparia meet; its antimicrobial action was recognised in the late 1930s and 1940s and it reached the market in the late 1940s and 1950s. Roughly 30,000 tonnes are made a year, and its more water-soluble salts potassium sorbate (E202) and calcium sorbate (E203) are used more often than the acid, although the acid is the active form.[^wiki]
15	43		<!--/about-->

Source of v1

# Sorbic acid <!--ingredient-->

## Identity <!--identity-->
name: Sorbic acid
<!--/identity-->

## References <!--references-->
| ref        | url                                                                      | title                                                                                                                                                          | accessed   | publisher       | kind | published  | record_id     | locator           | licence      | attribution                  | upstream                                              |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | --------------- | ---- | ---------- | ------------- | ----------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| label-2025 | https://images.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/002/100/060/4647/15.jpg | Open Food Facts photographs of the 12 oz pack: back label with ingredients, allergen statement, company block and UPC (upload 15); nutrition panel (upload 16) | 2026-09-13 | Open Food Facts | pack | 2025-12-28 | 0021000604647 | uploads 15 and 16 | cc-by-sa-3.0 | Open Food Facts contributors | https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/0021000604647 |
<!--/references-->

## About <!--about-->
Sorbic acid is declared as SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE on the United States label of Kraft Singles American photographed in 2025.[^label-2025]
<!--/about-->