Calcium sorbate
سوربات الكالسيوم
Preservative (EU-delisted)
Pulled from EU shelves - its safety couldn't be confirmed.
Why this verdict
Deleted from the EU authorised list (Reg (EU) 2018/98, from 12 Aug 2018): EFSA 2015 could not conclude on safety due to missing genotoxicity data, and no ADI could be set. Not proven harmful, but safety unconfirmed → caution.
What It Is
The calcium salt of sorbic acid, formerly used as a preservative. No longer permitted in the EU.
Removed from the EU's approved list in 2018: when re-evaluated, the genotoxicity data needed to clear it simply didn't exist, and no company supplied it. It's not proven harmful - but it couldn't be proven safe, so the EU dropped it. Sorbic acid (E200) and potassium sorbate (E202) remain approved.
Evidence & Status
IARC Carcinogen Group
Not classified
Acceptable Intake
no ADI established (EFSA 2015 - insufficient data)
EU Status
NOT authorised in EU (deleted by Reg (EU) 2018/98, from 12 Aug 2018; genotoxicity data gap)
US · FDA Status
Approved (still permitted in US)
Halal Status: Halal
Synthetically produced calcium salt; halal.
Worth Knowing
Also Known As
E 203 · Calcium (E · E)-hexa-2 · 4-dienoate
Primary Source
Evidence, not medical advice. You decide.
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