Allergen
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites on UK food labels
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites is one of the 14 allergens that must be declared when it is an ingredient of PPDS food. On the label, emphasise it every time it appears in the ingredients list — and use the wording customers and inspectors recognise.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
How to name it on the label
Official wording: Sulphur dioxide and sulphites. On the pack, use: Sulphites / sulphur dioxide.
Watch for
Declarable above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre. Dried fruit in cakes is the usual bakery source.Where it hides
- Dried fruit — apricots, sultanas, raisins
- Wine and some vinegars
- Some fruit juices and cordials
- Preserved and glacé fruit
- E220–E228 on ingredient lists
Traps
The kitchen trap
Declarable above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre. Dried fruit in cakes is the usual bakery source.
Compound ingredients
If sulphur dioxide and sulphites arrives inside chocolate, sauce, stock or a mix, break that compound ingredient out so the allergen still appears in the list.
How to label it
- Confirm whether sulphur dioxide and sulphites is an intentional ingredient (including inside mixes).
- Use the label name: Sulphites / sulphur dioxide.
- Emphasise it every time it appears — bold or capitals survive thermal printers.
- Do not replace the ingredients list with a symbol or a separate allergen box alone.
Questions
Do I declare sulphur dioxide and sulphites if it is only a trace?
Is a symbol enough for sulphur dioxide and sulphites?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Food labelling: giving food information to consumersGOV.UK
Also see: The 14 allergens · Allergen label generator · How to emphasise allergens · Lupin