INS 542 is the code for bone phosphate
Keeps powders free-flowing and is sometimes added as a calcium source - milk powder, powdered drinks, table salt, seasoning mixes. It is made by degreasing and calcining animal bone. The plainer-sounding calcium phosphates on the 340 series do the same job from mineral rock, which is why two packs can list an almost identical ingredient and only one of them be vegetarian.
- What it does
- Stops it clumping An anti-caking agent
- Also printed as
- Edible bone phosphate · Calcium phosphate, tribasic
- Vegetarian?
- Not vegetarian From animals
- In the Zabel score
- 6 of the 20 additive points Method 1.0.0
- In our catalogue
- 0 packs List it in their ingredients
Is INS 542 vegetarian?
INS 542 is made from animal material, so it is not vegetarian. A pack that lists it should carry the brown mark.
Too few packs in our catalogue list INS 542 for a breakdown by food to mean anything yet. We print one once at least 20 categorised packs carry it.
What does the evidence say about INS 542?
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.
Graded with the other added phosphates rather than on its own. EFSA's 2019 re-evaluation set a group acceptable daily intake for phosphates and noted that intake across the European population already exceeds it for some groups; high phosphate intake is separately associated with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in people with impaired kidney function. The animal origin is the second reason it is here: a pack listing INS 542 is non-vegetarian and must carry the brown mark.
Does Zabel mark INS 542 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 542?
INS 542 is the code for bone phosphate, an anti-caking agent. Keeps powders free-flowing and is sometimes added as a calcium source - milk powder, powdered drinks, table salt, seasoning mixes. It is made by degreasing and calcining animal bone. The plainer-sounding calcium phosphates on the 340 series do the same job from mineral rock, which is why two packs can list an almost identical ingredient and only one of them be vegetarian.
Is INS 542 vegetarian?
INS 542 is made from animal material, so it is not vegetarian. A pack that lists it should carry the brown mark.
What does the evidence say about INS 542?
Graded with the other added phosphates rather than on its own. EFSA's 2019 re-evaluation set a group acceptable daily intake for phosphates and noted that intake across the European population already exceeds it for some groups; high phosphate intake is separately associated with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in people with impaired kidney function. The animal origin is the second reason it is here: a pack listing INS 542 is non-vegetarian and must carry the brown mark.
Does Zabel mark INS 542 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).
What other names is INS 542 printed under?
Packs also print it as Edible bone phosphate and Calcium phosphate, tribasic, or as the bare number 542 in brackets after the ingredient.
Sources
- 01 Re-evaluation of phosphoric acid, phosphates, di-, tri- and polyphosphates as food additives EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings, 2019
- 02 Evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) WHO / FAO, 2024
- 03 Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 FSSAI, 2020
- 04 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.