Citric acid (E330)
- Food Caution
What is Citric acid (E330)?
Citric acid is the sour acid in lemons and limes, added to drinks and sweets for tang and to keep them fresh. Your body makes and uses it every day to turn food into energy. The one thing to watch is your teeth: sipping sour drinks or sucking sour sweets often slowly wears away enamel.
What is Yasno’s verdict on Citric acid?
Yasno’s verdict on Citric acid: Caution. Some evidence of a concern, it depends on the amount, or it is genuinely worth knowing. A Caution always has a specific, sourced reason.
Is Citric acid allowed in the EU?
EU status of Citric acid: Permitted as a food additive. Conditions and limits come from the regulation cited below. Yasno summarises them and does not replace the legal text.
| Where | EU | US |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Permitted as a food additive | Regulated as a food additive by the US FDA |
What else is it called?
- 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid
- Citric acid, anhydrous
- Aciletten
Sources
- EU Food Additives Register — POL-FAD-IMPORT-3099, European Commission (DG SANTE), 2015
- Citric acid and its calcium, potassium and sodium salts, WHO/JECFA, 1974
Always check the physical label. Yasno describes evidence and regulatory status. It never says a product is free of an allergen or safe for you, and it is not medical advice.
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