Polysorbate 40 is the emulsifier the food industry lists as E434. In our table it is low risk: it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100).
- The key finding, from EFSA: Re-evaluation of polysorbates E 432 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) through E 436: group ADI 25 mg/kg bw per day retained; in the refined non-brand-loyal scenario exposure did not exceed the ADI for any age group, but 'the estimated exposure of toddlers at the highest level in a non-brand loyal scenario remains very close to the ADI (24.5 mg/kg bw/day)' (10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4152)
- Flagged for young children. Set only where EFSA’s own exposure assessment shows toddlers or children exceeding or approaching the ADI, or where a regulator used explicitly child-specific language. For a child under 6 it moves up one class, to moderate risk.
- Where you meet it. None of the 10,000 packaged foods scanned most on Open Food Facts list it. Nine in ten of those foods are sold in Europe (counted 26 Sep 2026).
- 4 citations from EFSA, peer-reviewed research and the FDA, each one below.
What Polysorbate 40 does to a score
A packaged food's additive subscore starts at 100 and loses points for each additive on the label; that subscore is a third of the final score. Polysorbate 40 takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100), and a child under 6 sees it one class higher again. Scan the pack in Sito and the score you get is the one for your own child's age, with this additive named in the reasons. How we score has the whole method.
See what is in your own cupboard
Scan a packaged food and Sito names the additives in it, then scores the product out of 100 for your child's age.
What the sources found
Every classification in our table comes from the citations below, and nothing else. Each finding is our one-line summary of what the source concluded, with the source and reference beside it.
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EFSA
10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4152
Re-evaluation of polysorbates E 432 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) through E 436: group ADI 25 mg/kg bw per day retained; in the refined non-brand-loyal scenario exposure did not exceed the ADI for any age group, but 'the estimated exposure of toddlers at the highest level in a non-brand loyal scenario remains very close to the ADI (24.5 mg/kg bw/day)'. -
EFSA
10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4152 (data-gap conclusion)
The Panel noted no reported uses were obtained for three food categories and that other dietary sources of polysorbates could not be considered, so more data are needed to reduce uncertainty in the refined exposure assessment. -
Peer-reviewed
PMID 25731162 - Chassaing B et al., Nature 2015;519:92-96
Polysorbate-80, the group congener tested, induced low-grade inflammation, metabolic syndrome and colitis in mice at low dietary concentrations, with mucus thinning and bacterial encroachment. -
FDA
21 CFR Part 172 Subpart I enumerated (polysorbate 60 §172.836, polysorbate 65 §172.838, polysorbate 80 §172.840); FDA Inventory of Food Contact Substances (21 CFR 175.105, 178.3400)
No direct US food authorisation located for polysorbate 40 (CAS 9005-66-7); it is absent from the Substances Added to Food inventory and appears only as an indirect/food-contact substance.
Why this class
A credible adverse or precautionary signal that stops short of every Moderate and High criterion: peer-reviewed adverse findings not yet reflected in regulatory status, an exposure exceedance confined to high-percentile or single-event estimates, or a precautionary regulatory step short of those criteria, a reduced ADI, a data limitation noted without an adverse conclusion, a narrowed or conditioned authorisation, or a child-focused assessment or school-food law that covers the additive as part of a class.
Our confidence in this row's classification is high. Medium or low does not mean the evidence is weak; it means something about the row is still being pinned down, usually a regulatory status confirmed from one source rather than two.
Questions parents ask
Is Polysorbate 40 (E434) safe for kids?
Low risk. In Sito it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100). It is flagged for young children, so for a child under 6 it moves up one class, to moderate risk: 15 points off the additive subscore. The finding we rely on: Re-evaluation of polysorbates E 432 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) through E 436: group ADI 25 mg/kg bw per day retained; in the refined non-brand-loyal scenario exposure did not exceed the ADI for any age group, but 'the estimated exposure of toddlers at the highest level in a non-brand loyal scenario remains very close to the ADI (24.5 mg/kg bw/day)' (EFSA, 10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4152).
What is E434?
E434 is the E number for Polysorbate 40, an emulsifier. Open Food Facts tags it en:e434.
Next to it on the label
The E numbers either side of E434 in our table, then the closest emulsifiers by number.
- Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate (E431), no risk identified
- Polysorbate 20 (E432), low risk, flagged for young children
- Polysorbate 80 (E433), low risk, flagged for young children
- Polysorbate 60 (E435), low risk, flagged for young children
- Polysorbate 65 (E436), low risk, flagged for young children
- Ammonium phosphatides (E442), no risk identified