Potassium Sorbate — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?

Vegan status: Vegan

Also known as: E202, Potassium salt of sorbic acid

Source

Synthesised chemically from sorbic acid (E200) and potassium hydroxide. No animal products are used.

Used in

Wine (inhibits refermentation in the bottle and mould growth), fruit juices, dried fruit, dairy products, baked goods, some meat products, plant-based milks and yoghurts.

Appears on label: No. Listed as E202 or 'potassium sorbate' in ingredient lists. Relatively commonly declared as it is a direct ingredient in many applications.

How to avoid

No need to avoid — E202 is vegan.

Notes

Potassium sorbate is one of the most commonly used food preservatives globally. In wine, it is added at bottling to prevent refermentation (conversion of residual sugars by yeast) — particularly in sweet wines. Always used alongside sulphites in wine as it does not prevent bacterial spoilage alone.