A Survey to Determine the Levels of Benzoates and Sorbates in Soft Drinks Marketed in the UK

A previous overview of food additive intake in the European Union (2001) had already identifiued the additive benzoate as having an estimated theoretical intake for children close to exceeding the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0-5 mg/Kg of body weight/day. This project was commissioned by the Food Standards Agency to determine the actual levels of benzoates and sorbates in osft drinks in the UK (sorbates often being used in conjunction with benzoates). Of the 300 samples tested, 4 were found to exceed the legal limit for benzoic acid (150 mg/L), none were above the legal limit for sorbic acid and 16 were found to contain undeclared sorbic or benzoic acid. The data found by this study was used by the Agency to determine whether ADI for sorbate and benzoate is likely to be exceeded by children in the UK.