E Numbers Not Suitable for Vegetarians

If you follow a vegetarian diet and buy processed foods, E numbers are worth paying attention to. Some food additives are derived from animals, and not all of them are obvious from the name on the ingredients list. The difficulty is that some E numbers can come from either plant or animal sources depending on how they are manufactured, and packaging does not always make the origin clear.

E Numbers That Are Always Animal-Derived

A small number of E numbers are never suitable for vegetarians regardless of how they are produced:

• E120 (Cochineal / Carmine) — a red food colouring extracted from crushed scale insects. Commonly found in drinks, sweets, desserts, biscuits and sauces.
• E441 (Gelatin) — a gelling agent made from animal bones and skin, most commonly pork. Found in sweets, desserts, yoghurts and capsules.
• E542 (Edible Bone Phosphate) — ground animal bones used as an anti-caking agent. Sometimes found in dry foods and supplements.
• E901 (Beeswax) — used as a glazing agent on confectionery, fruit and chocolate. Derived from bees, so unsuitable for vegans, though some vegetarians may consider it acceptable.
• E904 (Shellac) — a glazing agent made from secretions of the lac insect. Used on confectionery, chocolate, coffee beans and sometimes fruit.
• E913 (Lanolin) — a wax derived from sheep's wool. Occasionally used in food processing and chewing gum.
• E1105 (Lysozyme) — an enzyme derived from chicken eggs. Used as a preservative, mainly in cheese.

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E Numbers That May Be Animal-Derived

A larger group of E numbers can be made from either animal or plant sources. The chemical result is the same either way, so manufacturers may use whichever source is cheaper or more convenient. The most common ones to watch for are:

• E322 (Lecithin) — usually from soy beans, but can come from eggs.
• E471 (Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids) — one of the most common additives in processed food. Found in bread, margarine, ice cream and baked goods. The fatty acids can come from animal fat or vegetable oil.
• E472a-f — various esters of fatty acids, all with the same animal or plant ambiguity as E471.
• E470a/b, E473-477 — emulsifiers based on fatty acids that may be animal-derived.
• E481/482 (Sodium and calcium stearoyl lactylate) — dough conditioners found in bread and baked goods. Stearic acid can come from animal or plant sources.
• E491-495 (Sorbitan esters) — emulsifiers that may contain animal-derived fatty acids.
• E570 (Stearic acid) — can come from animal fat or plant sources.
• E630-635 (Inosinic acid and related compounds) — flavour enhancers that can be derived from meat, fish (commonly sardines) or yeast. E631 (disodium inosinate) and E627 (disodium guanylate) are frequently sourced from fish. Synthetic and plant-based versions exist but are not always used.
• E920 (L-cysteine) — a flour treatment agent traditionally derived from animal hair or feathers, though synthetic and plant-based versions are now common.

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Fish and Seafood-Derived Additives

Some E numbers come from fish or shellfish rather than land animals, which catches out vegetarians who might only be looking for obvious meat-related ingredients. The flavour enhancers E627, E631 and E635 are commonly produced from sardines. E920 (L-cysteine) has historically been derived from feathers, which may come from poultry.

It is also worth knowing that some drinks, particularly wines, beers and fruit juices, are clarified using processing aids that never appear on the label. Isinglass, made from fish swim bladders, and gelatin are both used to fine drinks. Chitosan, derived from shrimp or crab shells, is another. These are removed before the product is sold, so they are not listed as ingredients, but traces may remain. If this matters to you, look for drinks labelled as suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

How to Check

If a product is labelled "Suitable for Vegetarians" or carries the Vegetarian Society Approved trademark, you can be reasonably confident that any ambiguous E numbers have come from plant sources. Where there is no such label, the only way to be certain is to contact the manufacturer. Most will have a customer services email or phone number on the packaging.

It is also worth checking labels regularly. Manufacturers do change their ingredients from time to time, and a product that was previously suitable for vegetarians may not stay that way indefinitely. The same applies in reverse, as companies increasingly switch to plant-based sources in response to consumer demand.

The Food Standards Agency maintains a full list of approved additives and E numbers on its website, though it does not specify animal or plant origin for each one. For that level of detail, the manufacturer remains the most reliable source.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our E Number Checker lets you enter an E number or ingredient and find out if it is halal, vegan, or contains animal products. Takes seconds. Try it now →