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Sulphites in sweets
Sulphites are better known in wine and dried apricots than in sweets, but they can turn up in a bag of pick and mix too. Here is what they are, how they get into sweets, who reacts to them, and how they are labelled.
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Sulphites are a family of preservatives based on sulphur dioxide. They are one of the 14 allergens that UK food law says must be declared, although only above a threshold: more than 10 mg per kg, or 10 mg per litre.
Why sulphites are used
Sulphites are used as food preservatives. Sulphur dioxide is used to preserve dried apricots, dried figs and other dried fruit, because it fights microbes and stops the fruit darkening, keeping its colour and preventing rotting. When used this way it is known as E220. Historically, molasses was treated with sulphur too, to preserve it and lighten its colour.
How they get into sweets
In sweets, sulphites can come in with another ingredient:
- Glucose syrup. A published ingredients list for Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums, recorded on Open Food Facts, lists glucose syrup that contains sulphites: see are wine gums gluten free?
- Dried fruit. Sweets containing dried fruit may contain sulphites if the fruit was preserved with them.
- Caramel colours. Two kinds of caramel colouring are made by reacting sugar with sulphites and have sulphite in their names, although the sulphite is tightly bound and not easily freed.
Who needs to take care
Reactions to sulphites appear to be very rare in the general population, and a reaction is seldom a true allergy. But people with asthma, and possibly people sensitive to aspirin, are at higher risk. Sulphites can cause breathing difficulty within minutes of eating, and other symptoms can include sneezing, swelling of the throat, hives and migraine. Anaphylaxis and life threatening reactions are rare.
If you think you react to sulphites, talk to your GP or an allergy specialist.
On the label
When sulphites are present above 10 mg per kg, they must be emphasised in the ingredients list of packed sweets, for example as sulphites or sulphur dioxide in bold. For loose sweets, the seller must be able to tell you which contain them: see pick and mix and allergies
Every sweet in our pick and mix has a card that opens up to show its ingredients and allergens, including sulphites where they are declared.
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Questions and answers
Do sweets contain sulphites?
Some do, carried in by an ingredient such as glucose syrup. One published ingredients list for Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums, for example, notes that the glucose syrup contains sulphites. Dried fruit is often preserved with sulphur dioxide. Check the label, where sulphites above 10 mg per kg must be emphasised.
Who should avoid sulphites?
Reactions are rare in the general population, but people with asthma, and possibly people sensitive to aspirin, are at higher risk. Sulphites can cause breathing difficulty within minutes of eating, and serious reactions are rare. If you think you react to sulphites, talk to your GP.
What E number is sulphur dioxide?
Sulphur dioxide is E220 when used as a preservative. Separately, two caramel colours are made using sulphites and have sulphite in their names.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II, legislation.gov.uk
- Sulfite, Wikipedia
- Sulfur dioxide, Wikipedia
- Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums 400g, Open Food Facts
- Food labelling: ingredients list, GOV.UK
Keep reading
- Diet, allergens and labelsThe 14 allergens explained for sweetsUK law names 14 allergens that must be declared. In sweets you may meet milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soya, gluten, sesame and sulphites. How labelling works.
- Questions people askAre wine gums gluten free?Wine gums contain no wheat flour, but one brand's product record lists gluten as a possible trace, so they cannot be called gluten free. What that means.
- Diet, allergens and labelsHow to read a sweet labelWhat each part of a sweet label means: ingredients by weight, allergens in bold, E numbers, the nutrition table, legal warnings and when there is no date.
- Questions people askWhat are E numbers in sweets?E numbers are codes for food additives, from colours to glazes. Many are natural, like vitamin C and pectin. What the numbers mean, and the rows over them.
- Diet, allergens and labelsPick and mix and allergiesLoose sweets bring extra allergy risks, from shared scoops to sweets side by side. What sellers must tell you, and the questions to ask before you buy.
- Diet, allergens and labelsGelatine in sweets explainedGelatine gives gummies and marshmallows their texture, and it melts below body temperature, which shapes how they feel in the mouth. Who avoids it.