Which E-numbers are not vegan? The full list, and the ones that depend

Published October 13, 2026

There are over 300 approved food additives in the EU, and almost all of them are plant-based, mineral or made synthetically. The problem is the handful that aren't, and a second group that can be made either way. This guide lists both, with how often each one turned up in 14,411 food labels scanned in the WhatsVegan app, so you know which ones are worth remembering.

E-numbers that are never vegan

Beeswax, carmine and shellac are the ones you are most likely to meet. Each appeared on roughly 1 in 100 food labels in our data, and together 374 labels (2.6%) contained at least one of the never-vegan additives. They are typical of the "one ingredient" problem described in our analysis of 14,411 labels: a product that is otherwise vegan except for the glaze or the colour.

Older numbers you may still see

• E441 / E428 Gelatine: Gelatine is no longer an E-number in the EU and is listed by name. Older lists and some imports still use these codes.
• E542 Edible bone phosphate: Made from animal bones. No longer authorised in the EU, but still on many older E-number lists.
• E913 Lanolin: The grease in sheep's wool. Not a permitted food additive in the EU today, but common in supplements and cosmetics, and the usual source of vitamin D3.

Read the name, not just the number

EU and UK rules let manufacturers list an additive by its E-number or by its name. Most use the name. Only 8.4% of the food labels in our data used any E-number code at all.

That matters for the animal ones. Carmine appeared on 113 labels but was written as "E120" on only 35. Shellac was written as "E904" on 7 of 112 labels, and beeswax as "E901" on 8 of 160. The rest said carmine, cochineal, shellac, confectioner's glaze, beeswax, cera alba or "glazing agent". A list of numbers alone would have missed most of them.

"Glazing agent" and "colour" on their own are worth a second look: the glazing agents most often used on sweets are beeswax and shellac, and red colours can be carmine.

E-numbers that can go either way

These can be made from plants or animals, and the label almost never says which. Most are made from fats, and fats can be vegetable oil or animal fat. Today most manufacturers use vegetable oils, but there is no rule that says they have to, and no rule that says they must tell you.

22.9% of the food labels we analysed contained at least one of these. E471 alone was on more than 1 in 10.

E920 (L-cysteine) deserves a mention because its traditional source is unusual: it has long been extracted from duck and chicken feathers or hair. A fermented, plant-based version exists. In the EU it is only allowed in flour for baked goods, so check bread, bagels and pizza dough.

The flavour enhancers E631 and E627 are usually made by fermentation today, but E631 in particular can be made from meat or fish. They are common in crisps, instant noodles and stock cubes.

What about E322 (lecithin)?

Lecithin can in theory come from eggs, which is why some lists mark it as "depends". In practice, food lecithin is almost always plant-based. It was the most common emulsifier in our data, on 2,583 labels (17.9%). 1,708 named soy as the source and 453 named sunflower. None named egg. Treat lecithin as vegan unless the label says egg.

E-numbers that sound animal but aren't

• E124 Ponceau 4R: Also called "Cochineal Red A", but it is a synthetic dye with no insects involved.
• E270 Lactic acid: Despite the name, it is made by fermenting sugar or starch, not from milk.
• E325–E327 Sodium, potassium and calcium lactate: Salts of lactic acid. No milk involved.
• E476 PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate): Made from castor bean oil. Common in chocolate.
• E1518 Glyceryl triacetate: Made synthetically, even though it is related to glycerol.
• E585 Ferrous lactate: An iron salt of lactic acid. No milk involved.

How to check an E-number that depends

1. Look for a vegan certification mark. The Vegan Society trademark, V-Label vegan and similar marks mean the manufacturer has checked the source of every additive.
2. Read the wording. "Vegetable mono- and diglycerides", "E471 (from sunflower)" or "vegetable glycerine" answers the question.
3. Ask the manufacturer. A short email is enough: "Is the E471 in [product] from a plant or animal source?"
4. Don't rely on "vegetarian". A vegetarian label rules out gelatine and animal fat, but still allows milk, egg and honey, and so lactitol, lysozyme and beeswax.

To check a whole label at once, paste it into the free vegan ingredient checker, or take a photo of it with the app. Both read E-numbers and their names. You can also browse every E-number we cover.

About the numbers

The counts come from 14,411 unique food and supplement ingredient lists scanned in the WhatsVegan app between June 2025 and October 2026, after removing duplicates and cosmetics. We counted an additive whenever its E-number or any of its names appeared, including inside brackets. These are products people chose to scan, so they are not a random sample of what is in shops. The full method is in our label analysis. Which additives are allowed comes from the EU and UK approved additive lists linked below.

Common questions

Sources

• Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives (EU list of approved additives): eur-lex.europa.eu
• Food Standards Agency, approved additives and E numbers (UK): food.gov.uk
• Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex VII Part C (additives listed by name or E-number): eur-lex.europa.eu
• EFSA re-evaluation of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471), 2017: efsa.europa.eu
• The Vegan Society, definition of veganism: vegansociety.com