E202 — Potassium sorbate
E202 (Potassium sorbate), a preservative, is rated "watch": fine in moderation. The potassium salt of sorbic acid. The most widely used preservative in cheese, yogurt, dried fruit, and wine. Generally well-tolerated.
Is potassium sorbate bad for you? →
What is Potassium sorbate?
The water-soluble potassium salt of sorbic acid. The most common preservative in cheese, yogurt, dried fruit, wine, and packaged dips.
What does it do to the body?
Your body handles it the same way as sorbic acid, breaking it down into ordinary fats. Skin contact can cause rashes in sensitive people, but eaten it is rarely an issue.
What regulators say
EFSA kept the group acceptable daily intake at 3 mg per kg of body weight per day (as sorbic acid) in 2015. The FDA approves it as GRAS.
Risk rating: Watch
Mixed evidence or a specific concern (gut, allergy, or contested safety data). Not alarming, but worth keeping an eye on rather than eating without limit.
Source: EFSA — re-evaluation of sorbic acid and sorbates (2015) ↗