Which INS numbers are Class II preservatives?

The main groups are sorbic acid and sorbates (INS 200-203), benzoic acid and benzoates (INS 210-213), para-hydroxybenzoates or parabens (INS 214-219), sulphur dioxide and sulphites (INS 220-228), nitrites and nitrates (INS 249-252), propionates (INS 280-283), nisin (INS 234) and natamycin (INS 235). On an Indian label they appear as the class name plus the number, for example "Preservative (INS 211)".

Are Class I preservatives safer than Class II?

Not automatically. The split is regulatory history rather than a safety ranking: Class I substances are traditional kitchen preservatives used for centuries, so they are not capped by additive limits. But salt and sugar are Class I preservatives, and high intakes of both carry well-documented health risks of their own. A food can be free of Class II preservatives and still be heavily salted or sweetened.

How do I know which Class II preservative is in my food?

Indian labelling rules require additives to be declared by functional class name and INS number in the ingredients list, so the number tells you which one it is. LabelCop reads the printed label from a photograph, identifies the specific preservative behind the number, and shows the regulator reasoning for the flag.

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Are Class II preservatives safe?

Q: What does "Class II preservative" mean on an Indian food label?

It is an Indian regulatory category, not a single ingredient. FSSAI splits preservatives into Class I — traditional substances such as salt, sugar, honey, vegetable oil and vinegar — and Class II, the manufactured chemical preservatives such as sorbates, benzoates, sulphites, nitrites and propionates. Class I use is largely unrestricted; Class II use is restricted by food category, with a maximum level set for each.

Q: Can a food contain two Class II preservatives?

Generally no. Under India's Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, only one Class II preservative may be used in a food, unless the regulations specifically permit alternatives for that product. Where a combination is allowed, the amounts must be scaled so the sum of each preservative's share of its own maximum limit does not exceed one.

Q: Are Class II preservatives banned anywhere?

The category as a whole is not banned anywhere, but individual members are restricted differently by different regulators. The EU's food safety authority withdrew the acceptable daily intake for sulphites in 2022 because the toxicity data were judged insufficient, and the EU lowered permitted nitrite levels in 2023. The WHO's cancer agency classifies processed meat, which is typically nitrite-cured, as carcinogenic to humans. Sorbates, by contrast, were re-cleared by EFSA in 2019 with a group ADI of 11 mg per kg of body weight per day.

By LabelCop · Last updated 3 August 2026 · Sources: FSSAI, EFSA, FDA, WHO/JECFA, WHO/IARC

The short answer: "Class II preservative" isn't one chemical — it's an Indian label category covering nine very different groups, and they don't share a safety verdict.

India: Class II preservatives are permitted, but capped per food category — and normally only one per product
EU: some are re-cleared (sorbates), some had their safe limit withdrawn (sulphites, 2022), some had limits cut (nitrites, 2023)
US: no "Class II" concept at all — each substance is handled separately under GRAS or prior-sanction rules
LabelCop: we ignore the category and score the actual substance behind the INS number

What is a Class II preservative?

An Indian regulatory category, inherited from the old Prevention of Food Adulteration rules and carried into the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011
Class I: traditional preservatives — common salt, sugar, dextrose, glucose syrup, honey, vegetable oil, vinegar. Largely unrestricted
Class II: manufactured chemical preservatives — sorbates, benzoates, sulphites, nitrites, propionates and others. Restricted by food category and maximum level
The split is regulatory history, not a safety ranking — see the FAQ below
It is an India-specific term: EU, UK, US and Codex labels never use it

What's inside the category

Group	INS numbers	Typical Indian foods
Sorbic acid & sorbates	200–203	Cheese, baked goods, fruit drinks, chutneys, sauces
Benzoic acid & benzoates	210–213	Soft drinks, squashes, pickles, jams, ketchup, soy sauce
Para-hydroxybenzoates (parabens)	214–219	Limited use in specified products
Sulphur dioxide & sulphites	220–228	Dried fruit, sugar, jams, fruit pulp, wine, dehydrated vegetables
Nisin	234	Processed and canned cheese
Natamycin	235	Cheese and cured meat surface treatment
Nitrites & nitrates	249–252	Cured and processed meats — ham, bacon, sausage, salami
Propionates	280–283	Packaged bread, buns, rusks, baked goods
Acetates	260–263	Sauces, dressings, some bakery products

On an Indian label these appear as class name plus number — "Preservative (INS 211)" — so the number, not the word, tells you what you're eating

India's two rules that don't exist elsewhere

One preservative only. A food may generally carry just one Class II preservative, unless the regulations expressly permit alternatives for that product
The proportion rule. Where a combination is allowed, each preservative's share of its own maximum must be reduced so the shares add up to no more than one
Why it matters: it caps total preservative load rather than each additive in isolation — a stricter idea than the EU or US apply
The catch: the rule governs what manufacturers may do, not what shoppers can verify. Only the ingredients list tells you which one was used

What the regulators actually say

Regulator	Status	Reasoning
FSSAI (India)	Permitted, category-capped	Class II preservatives are permitted in specified food categories at specified maximum levels, normally one per product. Sulphites must be declared on the label at 10 mg/kg or above under the 2020 labelling regulations. The 2026 labelling amendment, in force from 1 July 2027, tightens additive declaration further.
EFSA / European Union	Mixed — group by group	No single verdict. Sorbates (E200/E202): group ADI of 11 mg/kg body weight per day re-established in 2019, no evidence of genotoxicity. Sulphites (E220–228): the temporary group ADI was withdrawn in 2022 because the toxicity database was judged insufficient, and refined exposure estimates raised a safety concern. Nitrites (E249/E250): EFSA's 2017 re-evaluation set an ADI of 0.07 mg nitrite ion/kg body weight per day and found that once all dietary sources are counted, infants, toddlers and children exceed it at average intake. The EU then lowered maximum permitted nitrite and nitrate levels under Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2108.
FDA (United States)	Permitted, no such category	The US has no Class I / Class II split. Sorbates, benzoates, propionates and sulphites are handled individually as GRAS or regulated additives; nitrite in cured meat is jointly overseen with USDA. Since 1986 the FDA has prohibited sulphites on raw fruit and vegetables sold or served raw, and requires declaration at 10 ppm or above.
WHO / JECFA & IARC	Substance-specific	JECFA sets acceptable daily intakes group by group rather than for the category. Separately, IARC classified processed meat — typically nitrite-cured — as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) in 2015, on evidence linking it to bowel cancer.

Why do regulators disagree?

They're not asking the same question. India regulates the combination and the food category; the EU regulates each substance against an acceptable daily intake; the US asks whether a substance is generally recognised as safe
Different re-review clocks. EFSA is working through a systematic re-evaluation programme, which is why sulphites lost their ADI in 2022 while sorbates kept theirs — the evidence was reviewed at different times to different standards
Exposure modelling drives the splits. Several EU concerns come not from new toxicity findings but from newer estimates of how much people — especially children — actually consume
The India-specific gap: the one-preservative rule is arguably stricter than anything the EU or US impose, while individual Indian limits for some groups sit above current EU levels
We show you the disagreement instead of quietly picking a side

What this means when you're shopping

"Contains permitted Class II preservative" is not an answer. Look for the INS number that follows it
Sulphites matter if you have asthma. The EU, US, Canada and India all require them to be declared at 10 mg/kg or above so sensitive people can avoid them
Benzoates plus vitamin C in the same drink can form small amounts of benzene — a pairing worth checking on soft drinks and squashes
Nitrite-cured meat carries the WHO's processed-meat classification regardless of which country made it
Bread and rusks are the usual home of propionates in India

How LabelCop scores it

We don't score the category — we score the substance behind the number
High-risk flag: sulphites (INS 220–228), nitrites and nitrates (INS 249–252), benzoic acid (INS 210) and benzoates
Medium-risk flag: sodium benzoate (INS 211), propionates (INS 280–283)
Not flagged: sorbates — currently cleared with an established ADI and no genotoxicity finding
Rule: strictest regulator wins. Where any credible regulator restricts a substance, we flag it even where it's locally legal
You see the flag, the reason and the sources. No black box

Frequently asked questions

What does "Class II preservative" mean on an Indian food label?

It's a regulatory category, not an ingredient. Class I covers traditional preservatives — salt, sugar, honey, vegetable oil, vinegar — and is largely unrestricted. Class II covers the manufactured chemical preservatives, which are capped by food category and maximum level.

Can a food contain two Class II preservatives?

Generally no. India's 2011 food additive regulations permit one Class II preservative per food unless alternatives are expressly allowed for that product — and where a combination is permitted, the amounts must be scaled so each one's share of its own limit adds up to no more than one.

Which INS numbers count as Class II preservatives?

Sorbates 200–203, benzoates 210–213, parabens 214–219, sulphites 220–228, nisin 234, natamycin 235, acetates 260–263, nitrites and nitrates 249–252, propionates 280–283.

Are Class II preservatives banned anywhere?

Not as a category. Individual members are treated differently: EFSA withdrew the acceptable daily intake for sulphites in 2022 on insufficient data, the EU lowered nitrite limits in 2023, and the FDA has prohibited sulphites on raw fruit and vegetables since 1986. Sorbates were re-cleared by EFSA in 2019.

Are Class I preservatives safer?

Not automatically. The split reflects tradition, not a safety ranking — and salt and sugar are both Class I. A product free of Class II preservatives can still be very high in either.

"Permitted Class II preservative" tells you nothing. The number does.

LabelCop reads any food label you photograph — including local Indian brands no barcode database carries — and tells you which preservative is actually in there.

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Sources

FSSAI: Compendium — Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 · FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Regulations (labelling and display) · EFSA (2019): follow-up re-evaluation of sorbic acid (E200) and potassium sorbate (E202) · EFSA (2022): follow-up re-evaluation of sulphur dioxide and sulphites (E220–E228) · EFSA (2023): risk assessment of N-nitrosamines in food · Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2108 — lowered nitrite and nitrate levels · FDA: sulphites in food · WHO/IARC (2015): carcinogenicity of red and processed meat

Related ingredients: Sodium benzoate (E211) · Sodium nitrite (E250) · Potassium bromate (E924)

This article explains regulatory status and published scientific assessments in plain English. It is not medical advice.