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Ingredient register

Sulfites

Caution Allergen Both food and personal care

Decode Label flags Sulfites as a low concern in both food and personal care (allergen). It appears in 7 of the 912 published products we have analysed (0.8%).

The concern

Preservative that can trigger asthma and allergic reactions in sulfite-sensitive people

Sulfur dioxide and the sulfites can provoke breathing difficulty in some people with asthma and reactions in others who are sulfite-sensitive. The EU treats them as a labelled allergen above 10 mg/kg, and the EU food safety authority re-evaluated them in 2016. It matters mostly to people with asthma or a known sensitivity.

Most relevant to

People with asthma People with sensitive skin Children

Cited authority

EFSA re-evaluation of sulfur dioxide-sulfites (E 220-228), EFSA Journal 2016;14(4):4438; EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex II

How common it is in this catalogue

Measured across every product Decode Label has analysed — not estimated, and not taken from anyone else's dataset.

7 of 912 published products 0.8%

By category

Food 5
Bath & Body 1
Beverages 1

Identity

Also appears on labels as

Sodium Metabisulfite Sodium Metabisulphite Potassium Metabisulfite Potassium Metabisulphite Sodium Sulfite Sodium Sulphite Sodium Bisulfite Sodium Bisulphite

Questions

Are Sulfites safe?

The concern is cited to EFSA re-evaluation of sulfur dioxide-sulfites (E 220-228), EFSA Journal 2016;14(4):4438; EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex II. Why it is flagged: Preservative that can trigger asthma and allergic reactions in sulfite-sensitive people. Decode Label treats it as a low concern in both food and personal care. It appears in 7 of the 912 published products we have analysed (0.8%).

How common are Sulfites in Indian packaged products?

Decode Label found Sulfites in 7 of 912 published products (0.8%), most often in Food, Bath & Body, Beverages.

Who should be most careful with Sulfites?

People with asthma; People with sensitive skin; Children.

Products containing Sulfites

7 published products, each with its own full analysis.

Bikano Rasgulla Paper Boat Swing Coconut Water Drink Parle G Monaco Pears Original Glycerin Soap Bar Priyagold Butter Bite Cookie Sunfeast Glucose Plus Sunfeast Marie Light

Related ingredients

Other entries in the register with the same kind of concern.

Peanuts Aspartame Sulphur Dioxide Fragrance Fragrance Allergens (EU-listed) Benzyl Alcohol

Method and limits

  • Prevalence counts published products whose decoded ingredient list matches this substance or one of its label synonyms, using the same matching the score itself uses. It describes our catalogue of 912 products, not the Indian market as a whole.
  • Presence is not dose. An ingredient list gives order, not quantity, unless the pack declares a percentage. Nothing here estimates how much of this substance any product contains.
  • A classification is not a verdict on a product. An agency classifies a substance under defined conditions of exposure; whether that matters in a given food or cosmetic depends on route, concentration and use.
  • No regulatory rows. This substance is not matched in our regulatory warehouse, so the concern above rests on the cited authority alone.
  • Last updated. This register entry was last changed on 3 November 2026.
  • Corrections. Every figure here is reproducible from the sources named. If something is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and say what changed.