Sodium diacetate

E number E262INS 262(ii)CAS 126-96-5

Used as a preservative — Codex also lists it as acidity regulator, sequestrant.

Sodium diacetate is a preservative and flavouring used in bread, snacks and processed meats, where it suppresses mould and Listeria. It carries more vinegar flavour than sodium acetate alone.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Sodium diacetate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1754retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

15 food categories

highest permitted level 4,000 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 02.2.2 Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 02.3 Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 06.8.4.2 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 07.1 Bread and ordinary bakery wares and mixes — 4,000 mg/kg
  • 08.2 Processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 08.3 Processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 10.4 Egg-based desserts (e.g. custard) — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 12.5 Soups and broths — 500 mg/kg
  • 12.6.1 Emulsified sauces and dips (e.g. mayonnaise, salad dressing, onion dips) — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 12.6.2 Non-emulsified sauces (e.g. ketchup, cheese sauce, cream sauce, brown gravy) — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 12.6.3 Mixes for sauces and gravies — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 12.6.4 Clear sauces (e.g. fish sauce) — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 15.1 Snacks - potato, cereal, flour or starch based (from roots and tubers, pulses and legumes) — 1,000 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 262(ii)and 14 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

A crystalline compound of sodium acetate and acetic acid in a fixed ratio, rather than a simple mixture of the two.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
126-96-5
InChIKey
BHZOKUMUHVTPBX-UHFFFAOYSA-M
PubChem
CID 23662384

Every name it appears under

33 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E262

INS number

  • 262(ii)

CAS registry number

  • 126-96-5

As it appears in regulation

  • Sodium diacetate

Other names

  • 26WJH3CS0B
  • Acetic acid dimer, sodium salt
  • acetic acid sodium acetate
  • Acetic acid, sodium salt (2:1)
  • Acid acetate
  • AcOH AcONa
  • AcONa AcOH
  • CH3COONa CH3COOH
  • Dykon
  • E 262(ii)
  • HOAc NaOAc
  • HSDB 736
  • INS NO.262(II)
  • INS-262(II)
  • NaOAc HOAc
  • Sodium acetate (1:2)
  • sodium acetate acetate
  • sodium acetate acetic acid
  • Sodium acetate, acid
  • Sodium acetate--acetic acid (1/1/1)
  • sodium acetate-acetic acid
  • Sodium acid acetate
  • Sodium diacetate
  • Sodium diacetate Solution in Water, 1000ug/mL
  • Sodium hydrogen acetate
  • Sodium hydrogen di(acetate)
  • Sodium hydrogen diacetate
  • sodium;acetic acid;acetate

Systematic names

  • sodium;acetic acid;acetate

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI15 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSA FEEDAP2012

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/sodium-diacetate.json