Propyl gallate is the antioxidant the food industry lists as E310. 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: ADI 0.5 mg/kg bw/day from a 90-day rat NOAEL of 135 mg/kg with UF 300 'for extrapolation from a subchronic to chronic data and due to the limitations in the reproductive toxicity database'; the old gallate group ADI withdrawn; 'the high level of exposure exceeded the ADI in adults and the elderly', though the Panel concluded current uses are not of safety concern (10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3642 (EFSA Journal 2014;12(4):3642))
- No child flag. The class, and the points it costs, are the same for a child of any age.
- Where you meet it. It turns up in 7 of the 10,000 packaged foods scanned most on Open Food Facts, most often in ready meals and cereal bars. Nine in ten of those foods are sold in Europe (counted 26 Sep 2026).
- 3 citations from EFSA, EU law and the FDA, each one below.
What Propyl gallate 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. Propyl gallate takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100). 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.2014.3642 (EFSA Journal 2014;12(4):3642)
ADI 0.5 mg/kg bw/day from a 90-day rat NOAEL of 135 mg/kg with UF 300 'for extrapolation from a subchronic to chronic data and due to the limitations in the reproductive toxicity database'; the old gallate group ADI withdrawn; 'the high level of exposure exceeded the ADI in adults and the elderly', though the Panel concluded current uses are not of safety concern. -
EU law
Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1481
Confirms the gallate group ADI is no longer valid while E310 itself remains authorised in the EU (only E311 and E312 were deleted). -
FDA
21 CFR ยง184.1660 (propyl gallate, GRAS)
GRAS in the US as a chemical preservative/antioxidant.
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 medium. 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 Propyl gallate (E310) safe for kids?
Low risk. In Sito it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100). The finding we rely on: ADI 0.5 mg/kg bw/day from a 90-day rat NOAEL of 135 mg/kg with UF 300 'for extrapolation from a subchronic to chronic data and due to the limitations in the reproductive toxicity database'; the old gallate group ADI withdrawn; 'the high level of exposure exceeded the ADI in adults and the elderly', though the Panel concluded current uses are not of safety concern (EFSA, 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3642 (EFSA Journal 2014;12(4):3642)).
What is E310?
E310 is the E number for Propyl gallate, an antioxidant. Open Food Facts tags it en:e310.
Next to it on the label
The E numbers either side of E310 in our table, then the closest antioxidants by number.
- Fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid (E304), no risk identified
- Tocopherol-rich extract (E306), no risk identified
- Alpha-tocopherol (E307), no risk identified
- Octyl gallate (E311), high risk
- Dodecyl gallate (E312), high risk
- Erythorbic acid (E315), no risk identified