Is Potassium Sorbate Safe?
The FDA lists potassium sorbate, under 21 CFR 182.3640, as a substance generally recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice. That is its regulatory status.
FDA food standards set limits in specific foods. Pasteurized process cheese sold as slices or cuts in consumer-sized packages may contain a mold-inhibiting ingredient of no more than 0.2 percent by weight of sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate or a combination, and margarine may contain sorbic acid, benzoic acid and their sodium, potassium and calcium salts at up to 0.1 percent individually or 0.2 percent combined, expressed as the acids.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives set a group acceptable daily intake in 1973 of 0 to 25 mg per kilogram of body weight for sorbic acid and its calcium, potassium and sodium salts, expressed as sorbic acid.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Regulatory filingUnder 21 CFR 182.3640, potassium sorbate is generally recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice. US FDA, 21 CFR 182.3640 (eCFR) ↗
- Regulatory filingThe FDA standard for pasteurized process cheese lets slices or cuts in consumer-sized packages contain up to 0.2 percent by weight of sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate or a combination as a mold inhibitor. US FDA, 21 CFR 133.169 (eCFR) ↗
- Regulatory filingThe FDA standard for margarine allows sorbic acid, benzoic acid and their salts at up to 0.1 percent individually or 0.2 percent combined by weight, expressed as the acids. US FDA, 21 CFR 166.110 (eCFR) ↗
- Government sourceJECFA set a group acceptable daily intake of 0 to 25 mg per kg of body weight in 1973 for sorbic acid and its calcium, potassium and sodium sorbates, expressed as sorbic acid. JECFA, World Health Organization ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.