INS 211 is the code for sodium benzoate
Stops mould and yeast growing in acidic foods - squashes, pickles, sauces and soft drinks.
- What it does
- Keeps it from spoiling A preservative
- Vegetarian?
- Vegetarian Made chemically
- In the Zabel score
- 6 of the 20 additive points Method 1.0.0
- In our catalogue
- 277 packs List it in their ingredients
Is INS 211 vegetarian?
INS 211 is made chemically, so it does not by itself make a food non-vegetarian. The green or brown mark on the pack is still the declaration to go by, because it covers every other ingredient too.
| Food category | Share | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Sauces and condiments | 36% | |
| Carbonated soft drinks | 31% | |
| Spreads and jams | 11% | |
| Other beverages | 11% | |
| Fruit juices and nectars | 3% | |
| Everything else | 10% |
Counted from the 277 packs in Zabel's catalogue that list INS 211, 242 of which have a food category so far. Counted 4 Nov 2026.
What does the evidence say about INS 211?
We grade an additive by the evidence about it, not by whether it sounds like a chemical, and we make no claim about whether a pack complies with FSSAI rules.
EFSA's 2016 re-evaluation kept a group ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight. Two specific issues: in a drink that also contains ascorbic acid (INS 300) and is stored warm, small amounts of benzene can form; and it was the preservative paired with the six colours in the 2007 Southampton hyperactivity trial.
Does Zabel mark INS 211 down?
Yes, by 6 points. The additives part of the score starts at 20, and each code takes off a fixed amount set by the strength of the evidence about it, not by the fact that it is an additive (method 1.0.0). Read the method.
Questions people search
What is INS 211?
INS 211 is the code for sodium benzoate, a preservative. Stops mould and yeast growing in acidic foods - squashes, pickles, sauces and soft drinks.
Is INS 211 vegetarian?
INS 211 is made chemically, so it does not by itself make a food non-vegetarian. The green or brown mark on the pack is still the declaration to go by, because it covers every other ingredient too.
What does the evidence say about INS 211?
EFSA's 2016 re-evaluation kept a group ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight. Two specific issues: in a drink that also contains ascorbic acid (INS 300) and is stored warm, small amounts of benzene can form; and it was the preservative paired with the six colours in the 2007 Southampton hyperactivity trial.
Does Zabel mark INS 211 down?
Yes, by 6 points. The additives part of the score starts at 20, and each code takes off a fixed amount set by the strength of the evidence about it, not by the fact that it is an additive (method 1.0.0).
Sources
- 01 Re-evaluation of benzoic acid (E 210) and its salts as food additives EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources, 2016
- 02 Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial McCann et al., The Lancet 370(9598), 2007
- 03 Zabel catalogue - pack counts, food categories and the codes printed alongside 4 Nov 2026
Entry updated 19 Sep 2026 · Not reviewed by a dietitian yet · Report an error on this page
Point the camera at the pack.
Zabel reads every INS code on it, shows the score, and shows the working.