Guide
Allergens in soya lecithin
Soya lecithin is soya. It is an emulsifier in chocolate, margarine and many bakery releases. Emphasise soya every time it appears. Sunflower lecithin is the usual swap, and it is not soya.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The usual pattern
On a specification it may say emulsifier (soya lecithin) or E322 with a soya source. The E number alone is not enough if you cannot tell the source. When the source is soya, the allergen name has to be obvious.
What to check in soya lecithin
| What you see | What it means on a PPDS label |
|---|---|
| Soya lecithin | Soya |
| Sunflower lecithin | Not soya |
| E322 from soya | Soya — the name must show |
| Chocolate that changes emulsifier | The label changes with it |
How to write it on the label
PPDS food needs the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised every time they appear. The Food Standards Agency’s PPDS guidance is the practical reference. A typical ingredients fragment looks like this — yours must follow the specification of the product you actually use.
Example fragment
Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier: soya lecithin.
Where it shows up
Chocolate, icing, margarine, release agents and some biscuit doughs.
Ignoring it because it is an additive
Additives that are allergens are still ingredients. Soya lecithin is emphasised like any other soya.
A may-contain soya line does not replace lecithin that is deliberately in the recipe.
Specification first
Brands differ. Treat this page as the usual pattern, then match the label to the tub, bag or recipe in front of you.
Questions
Do I emphasise soya lecithin?
Is E322 always soya?
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.
- Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS foodFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- 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