E-Number Decoder · Free reference tool

Decode the E-numbers on your label, the way a pharmacist reads them.

A working reference to the 81 additives that show up most often on UK labels. Every entry answers the same four questions. What does the regulator say? What does the evidence show? Where do the two disagree? And is it halal? No fear-mongering, no sugar-coating.

Treat every E-number as poison See what the evidence actually says
Free reference81 additivesHalal status flaggedPharmacist-built
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How every entry is laid out
How each entry is laid out A still diagram, not animated, because this tool is a lookup and there is no sequence to show. Four rows, each standing for one additive, run between a column headed Regulator on the left and a column headed Evidence on the right. Three rows are joined the whole way across. The third has a gap in the middle with a tick mark at each side, labelled they disagree here. Two lines at the foot say that each row is one of eighty-one additives and that every entry also says whether it is halal. Regulator Evidence They disagree here Each row is one of 81 additives Every entry also says whether it is halal

Illustrative, not real additives. The regulator position and the evidence sit side by side on every entry, and where they do not meet, the entry says so rather than picking a side for you. Everyone is different, so what matters on a label depends on who is eating it.

What this is for

See past the E-number panic

An E-number is just a code for an approved additive. The internet treats the whole list as a threat. This gives you the grounded version instead. For each one: what it is, what the regulator has concluded, and what the peer-reviewed evidence shows. Where those two part company, the entry says so. Halal status is surfaced on every additive. Some are worth a second look, and the Southampton Six, paediatric flags and contested cases are all clearly marked.

How it works

Three simple steps

1
Search or filter
Look up an additive by E-number, name or food category, or filter by type.
2
Read the grounded entry
See the regulator position, the evidence, and where the two diverge.
3
Check what matters to you
Halal status, paediatric flags and contested cases are marked on each.
What you walk away with

What you take away

  • A plain-English entry for each of the 81 most common UK additives
  • The regulator position and the evidence side by side
  • Halal status surfaced on every additive
  • Clear flags for the Southampton Six and contested cases
Open the decoder

Everyone is different. This is a reference, not personal medical advice.

Best for anyone who wants to read an ingredients list with clear eyes, halal status included.

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Your next step

You have the picture. Here is what to do with it.

Keep going, free Additives Worth Knowing About See which everyday additives are worth your attention. Open Additives Worth Knowing About →
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