Which E-numbers are vegan?

E-numbers are the EU's additive identifiers - every food additive approved for use in Europe gets a number prefixed with "E" (E100-E1599). There are around 250 in active use, covering colourings, preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, thickeners, sweeteners, flavour enhancers, and processing aids. The system was designed for safety regulation, not for telling consumers where an additive came from. That mismatch is why "is this E-number vegan?" is a real question: the same E-code on two different products can be plant-derived in one and animal-derived in the other.

The unambiguous animal-derived E-codes - the ones that are always or near-always non-vegan - are a short list. E120 (carmine, also called cochineal or natural red 4) is a red dye made from crushed cochineal scale insects, used in some yoghurts, sweets, sausages, fruit drinks, and lipsticks. E441 is gelatine, made from boiled animal bones and skin, found in jelly sweets, marshmallows, some yoghurt drinks, and many vitamin capsules. E542 is bone phosphate, an anti-caking agent made from animal bones. E901 is beeswax and E904 is shellac, both insect-derived glazing agents used on shiny sweets, coated chocolates, supplement pills, and some fresh fruit. E913 is lanolin from sheep wool, used in some vitamin D supplements. E966 is lactitol, a sweetener made from lactose (cow's milk), so it is dairy. E1105 is lysozyme, an enzyme extracted from egg white, used as a preservative in some cheeses and wines. If you see any of these on a label, the product is not vegan.

The ambiguous emulsifier family is where most accidental non-vegan slip-ups happen. E471 (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids) is the single most common confusing additive in supermarket bread, biscuits, margarine, chocolate, ice cream, and protein bars. The fatty acids in E471 can come from plant oils (palm, soy, rapeseed, sunflower) or from animal fat (tallow). EU labelling rules do not require manufacturers to disclose the source. Some brands voluntarily write "vegetable mono- and diglycerides" or "mono- and diglycerides of vegetable origin," and that is reliable. Most do not, and "E471" alone tells you nothing about source. The same applies to the whole adjacent family: E472a, E472b, E472c, E472d, E472e (DATEM, used in bread improver), E472f, E473, E474, E475, E477, E481 (SSL, common in supermarket bread), E482 (CSL), E483, E491, E492, E493, E494, E495, and E570 (stearic acid). All have a fatty-acid base that could be plant or animal. In practice most modern EU manufacturing has shifted to plant sources because they are cheaper and more consistent, but "most" is not "all" and there is no way to read the label and be sure.

The ambiguous flavour-enhancer pair to know is E631 (disodium inosinate) and E635 (disodium 5'-ribonucleotides). These show up in instant noodles, flavoured crisps, savoury snack seasonings, and stock cubes. Both are usually derived from fish (sardines) or meat, though synthetic versions exist. E635 is a mix that includes E627 (vegan, from yeast) and E631 (usually animal), so its vegan status follows E631. Treat both as non-vegan unless the product carries a vegan certification or the brand has confirmed a synthetic source. Halal-certified products often use synthetic versions, which is a useful proxy in some regions but not a guarantee.

E920 (L-cysteine) deserves its own paragraph because it is hiding in more bakery than people realise. It is a dough conditioner used to soften and speed-prove dough in many supermarket loaves, bagels, pizza bases, pretzels, and some burger buns. Traditional sources are duck feathers, pig bristles, and human hair (yes, really - hair from barbershop sweepings is processed into L-cysteine, mostly in China). Synthetic and microbial-fermentation versions exist and are increasingly common, but EU labels never tell you which one is in your bread. The related code E910 (L-cystine) has the same problem. If you eat a lot of supermarket bread and want to be sure, look for a vegan-certified brand or buy from a bakery that confirms no L-cysteine.

What to actually do in practice. First, the good news: the famous "scary-looking" E-numbers most people worry about are fine. E300 is vitamin C. E322 (lecithin) is almost always soy or sunflower, occasionally egg - "soy lecithin" or "sunflower lecithin" on the label is vegan. E440 is pectin from fruit. E150a-d are caramel colours (vegan). E160a is beta-carotene (vegan). Sweeteners E950 (acesulfame K), E951 (aspartame), E952 (cyclamate), E954 (saccharin), E955 (sucralose), E960 (stevia), and E965 (maltitol) are all vegan. The PlantsPack barcode scanner reads ingredient lists, surfaces every E-code it finds, and flags the problematic ones with plain-English explanations - so you do not need to memorise the list. For products without a barcode (bakery, deli, restaurant menus), look for a Vegan Society sunflower logo, a V-Label "vegan" mark, or Certified Vegan (the sunflower-with-V mark common in the US). All three trademark schemes explicitly check the full additive list and refuse certification if any animal-derived E-code is present, including the ambiguous ones unless the manufacturer can prove plant sourcing. When a product has none of those marks and you cannot tell from the label, the safest move is to contact the brand - most have a customer-service line that will tell you the source of a specific E-code, and many keep a "vegan products list" they will email you.