Sodium benzoate (INS 211) on Indian labels

Sodium benzoate, printed as INS 211, is a preservative. It stops yeasts and moulds growing in acidic foods, which is why it appears in soft drinks, fruit drinks and squashes, sauces, pickles and jams. It is permitted by FSSAI, and 389 of the 3,576 Indian products in Open Food Facts that list their additives declare it.

Why LabelSaaf ranks it moderate, not low

Most additives on Indian packs sit in LabelSaaf's low-risk tier. Sodium benzoate sits one above, for one reason: it was part of the additive mixtures tested in the 2007 Southampton study of children's behaviour, alongside six synthetic colours. Europe's resulting warning label applies to the colours, not to sodium benzoate, so the moderate tier is a cautious reading of that study rather than a regulator's ruling against it.

In practice the tier adjusts a score within the band the nutrition earned. It never moves a pack into another band on its own; in a soft drink, the sugar row does far more to the verdict than the preservative.

Two things worth knowing

• It is a source of sodium. About a sixth of sodium benzoate's weight is sodium. The amount used is small, but it adds to the sodium row alongside the salt, as do several other additives. Sodium on Indian labels.
• With vitamin C it can form benzene. Under heat and light, benzoate and ascorbic acid (INS 300) can react to form traces of benzene. A 2006 survey by the US Food and Drug Administration found this in some soft drinks, and manufacturers reformulated them.

Common questions

Is sodium benzoate banned in India?

No. FSSAI permits it in specified foods, up to set limits.

Is sodium benzoate harmful?

Regulators permit it at the levels used. LabelSaaf ranks it moderate because of the Southampton study, and the verdict names it when a pack declares it.

Is INS 211 vegetarian?

Yes. It is made synthetically, with no animal source.

What is sodium benzoate called in Hindi?

सोडियम बेंजोएट.

Figures on this page come from labels we have read and hand-checked. Products are described by category rather than named, and no affiliation with or endorsement by any brand is implied.

Last checked: 2026-09-25

Photograph the nutrition table on a pack and get a score out of 100, with the reason behind every point.