Sodium phosphate
Sodium phosphateSodium phosphates are among the most widely used additives in processed food, acting as acidity regulators, emulsifying salts, raising agents and moisture binders. They are in processed cheese, cured meats, baked goods and cola drinks.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 182.1778and 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
What it is made from
Made by neutralising phosphoric acid, itself produced from mined phosphate rock, with sodium. No animal or plant material is involved unless the specific salt is bone-derived, which is listed separately.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Sodium phosphate
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
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
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/sodium-phosphate.json