Food additives list (Australia): what every additive number means
Search "is Yellow 5 bad for you" or "is MSG safe" and you'll find plenty of opinions. Goodnessly rates 319 food additives — from E numbers to their common names — on the same evidence-based system used to score every product in the app, so you can look any of them up before you decide.
Scan any product to check its additives instantly — free.
What are E numbers and food additive codes?
E numbers (and their equivalent codes outside the EU, like "102" for tartrazine) are the numbering system regulators use to identify approved food additives — colours, preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners and more. Every additive with an E number has been assessed by a food safety authority and is permitted for use, but permitted doesn't always mean uncontroversial.
How Goodnessly rates each one
Every additive in this directory is checked against evidence from multiple food safety authorities — including where regulators disagree, such as colours that require warning labels in the EU but not in Australia. Additives rated Avoid are the ones with the most consistent evidence of concern; those rated Caution sit in a greyer zone; Safe additives have no meaningful red flags in the evidence we've reviewed.
Commonly searched additives
A few of the ones people look up most — often by their common name rather than the E number.
No additives match that search. Try a different name or code.
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Frequently asked questions
What do E numbers mean?
An E number is a code assigned to a food additive once it's been assessed and approved for use in the EU (and, informally, in Australia and other markets that follow similar numbering). The "E" simply stands for Europe — the number itself identifies the specific additive, regardless of which brand or product it appears in.
Are food additives safe?
Most additives permitted for use have been through a regulatory safety assessment, but "permitted" and "safe for everyone at every level of consumption" aren't the same thing. Some additives carry warning labels in one region but not another, some are linked to allergy-type reactions in a minority of people, and some are still being reviewed as new evidence emerges. Goodnessly's rating for each additive reflects the current evidence and regulatory position, so you can make your own call.
How does Goodnessly rate additives as safe, caution or avoid?
Each additive is reviewed against food safety evidence and regulatory positions across multiple markets. Additives with well-established evidence of harm, or a mandatory warning label in a major regulator like the EU, are rated Avoid. Additives with mixed or emerging evidence sit in Caution. Additives with no meaningful red flags in the evidence we've reviewed are rated Safe. These ratings make up 30% of a product's overall Goodnessly score.
Why isn't Health Star Rating mentioned on this page?
Goodnessly's additive and product scores are calculated independently using our own nutrition, additive and organic-content methodology — not the government Health Star Rating system.
How do I check if a product contains a specific additive?
Scan any packaged product with the Goodnessly app to see its full ingredient and additive breakdown instantly, including the rating for each additive it contains.
Don't decode ingredient lists by hand
Scan any product with the Goodnessly app to instantly see every additive it contains, what it's rated, and why.
Download our app to check additives in everyday foods
At Goodnessly we aim to educate and empower individuals to make informed choices about everyday products.
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