Potassium Sorbate — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?
Also known as: E202, Potassium salt of sorbic acid
Vegan
No animals or animal-derived substances are involved in producing this agent.
Not required on labels
Listed as E202 or 'potassium sorbate' in ingredient lists. Relatively commonly declared as it is a direct ingredient in many applications.
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.
How to Avoid
No need to avoid — E202 is vegan.
Editorial 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.