E213 – Calcium benzoate | preservative safety, side effects and benzene concerns

Quick analysis summary about E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive

Bottom line about E213

E213 is calcium benzoate, a preservative used mainly in acidic foods and drinks. It remains authorised in the EU, but the overall picture is not clean enough for a clearly reassuring low-risk verdict, so the practical grade here is ORANGE – SOME CONCERNS.[1-5]

Why this grade for E213

The main regulatory reassurance comes from benzoic acid and benzoate-group data rather than from a large modern toxicology package for calcium benzoate itself.[1,2] EFSA kept a group ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight per day using a four-generation rat study on benzoic acid with a NOAEL of 500 mg/kg bw/day, while JECFA later moved to a group ADI of 0 to 20 mg/kg bw/day after a newer review.[1,2] Even so, indirect benzoate concerns remain relevant, including benzene formation risk in some drink systems with ascorbic acid and mixed evidence linking benzoate exposure with behaviour effects in children.[4,5]

Who may want to limit or avoid E213

Children with high intake of soft drinks and other preserved foods, people with additive sensitivity, and those trying to reduce cumulative preservative exposure may want less of it. Occasional intake is different from repeated exposure across many processed products.

Common uses and where E213 appears

E213 can be used in acidic foods where manufacturers want microbial protection. It is less common than sodium benzoate, but the benzoate group is associated with drinks, fruit products, sauces, condiments, and similar preserved foods.[1,4]

E213 source or origin

E213 is the calcium salt of benzoic acid. It is manufactured for food and industrial use and is not a natural whole-food ingredient, even though benzoic acid also occurs naturally at low levels in some foods.

Intake note for E213

EFSA uses a group ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight per day for benzoic acid and benzoates, expressed as benzoic acid.[1] For a 60 kg adult, that is 300 mg per day. JECFA later set a broader group ADI of 0 to 20 mg/kg bw/day, but the practical message is still that regular high intake from multiple preserved foods is less comfortable than occasional use.[2]

Is E213 banned anywhere?

In the EU, E213 remains listed in the Union additives framework.[1,3] In the US, calcium benzoate appears in FDA food substance databases and specific standards such as preservative use in certain margarine rules, but it is not a prominent general-purpose direct additive like sodium benzoate.[6,7] No clear major food-use ban was identified in the reviewed jurisdictions.

Safety grading ORANGE – SOME CONCERNS

E213 is graded ORANGE – SOME CONCERNS because current permission does not remove the need for caution about the benzoate evidence base. Regulatory assessments still support controlled use, and the core reproductive study behind the EFSA benchmark did not show adverse effects at the highest tested dose.[1,2] However, much of that reassurance is indirect for calcium benzoate itself, while unresolved benzoate issues remain relevant for real-world exposure, especially behaviour signals in some children, occasional sensitivity reactions, and benzene formation potential in certain beverage conditions.[4,5]

Study basis or key toxicological reasoning for E213

EFSA re-evaluated benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, and calcium benzoate together and selected a four-generation dietary rat study with benzoic acid as the pivotal study.[1] That study showed no adverse effects on growth, fertility, lactation, survival, or offspring development up to 500 mg/kg bw/day, which was the NOAEL used to derive the group ADI of 5 mg/kg bw/day.[1] JECFA later reviewed benzoates again and established a wider group ADI of 0 to 20 mg/kg bw/day.[2] The main caveat is that this is largely group-based evidence rather than a modern additive-specific dataset for calcium benzoate itself.[1,2] Independent literature also keeps some caution alive. A large trial in children linked mixes containing sodium benzoate with increased hyperactive behaviour, and reviews note that benzoates can contribute to benzene formation in beverages that also contain ascorbic acid under favourable conditions.[4,5] Those findings are not proof that ordinary E213 intake directly causes the same outcomes, but they are enough to keep the grade cautious rather than GREEN.[4,5]

Side effects of E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive

Most people will not notice an immediate effect from small amounts: the main concern is repeated intake across many preserved foods rather than one serving.[1,2]
Behaviour concerns are indirect but relevant: benzoate exposure has been linked with increased hyperactive behaviour in some children in challenge studies, although those studies were not specific to calcium benzoate alone.[4]
Some sensitive people may react: preservative intolerance and allergy-like symptoms have been reported with benzoates in susceptible individuals.[5]
Benzene formation is a product-formulation issue: benzoates can contribute to benzene formation in drinks that also contain ascorbic acid under certain conditions, so the concern is about combinations and storage conditions, not about E213 acting as a direct dietary carcinogen by itself.[5]
High intake is less reassuring: cumulative exposure from drinks, sauces, fruit products, and preserved convenience foods is the more relevant practical issue.

Should You Avoid E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive?

There is no strong reason for most people to panic about occasional E213 exposure. A more cautious approach makes sense for children with very high intake of preserved drinks and snacks, for people who already suspect preservative sensitivity, and for anyone trying to cut back on highly processed foods overall. The main reason is not a proven direct toxic effect from one normal serving. It is the less comfortable picture that emerges when calcium benzoate is viewed as part of the wider benzoate exposure pattern.[1,4,5]

Common uses of E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive

Acidic drinks and beverage systems
Fruit products and fruit preparations
Sauces, condiments, and dressings
Some preserved convenience foods where acidic conditions support benzoate action

Common names and synonyms of E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive

Calcium benzoate
Benzoic acid calcium salt
Calcium dibenzoate
E213
INS 213

What is E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive?

E213 is calcium benzoate, one of the benzoate preservatives used to slow the growth of yeasts, moulds, and some bacteria in acidic foods. Preservatives in this group work better when the product pH is low, which is why they are associated more with acidic drinks, fruit-based products, sauces, and similar foods than with neutral foods.

Compared with sodium benzoate, calcium benzoate is less visible in everyday ingredient lists, but it belongs to the same toxicological family. That matters because much of the safety assessment for E213 is based on shared benzoate evidence rather than on a large modern set of calcium-benzoate-only studies.[1,2] In practical terms, E213 is best understood as a benzoate preservative that sits in a permitted but not fully reassuring category, especially when overall preservative load in the diet is already high.[4,5]

Where is E213 – Calcium benzoate food additive allowed (EU vs US)?

In the EU, E213 remains part of the authorised benzoate group within the Union additives legislation.[1,3] In the US, calcium benzoate appears in FDA food substance listings and specific standards, including margarine-related preservative provisions, but it is not a widely prominent direct-use preservative across the food supply in the same way as sodium benzoate.[6,7]

E213 – Calcium benzoate