◈ Label Decoder

What's actually behind the code.

That ingredients list full of numbers — INS 950, E211, 471 — isn't meant to be cryptic, it's a shorthand. Every additive has a code, every code has a meaning. This is the key: search any number, see what it is, what it does, and where it comes from.

How the codes work

A two-minute primer. Print it, or grab the full PDF below.

INS 950
INSInternational Numbering System — the global Codex Alimentarius code. The EU prefixes the same number with "E" (so INS 950 = E950).
9 _ _The first digit places it in a family. The 900s hold sweeteners, glazing agents and gases.
950This exact number is Acesulfame potassium — a calorie-free sweetener. One number, one defined substance, worldwide.

The first digit is a map

INS vs E-number

INS is the international code from the Codex Alimentarius (used across Asia, Australia and much of the world). E-numbers are the European Union's version — an "E" plus, almost always, the very same digits. If a label shows "INS 211" and another shows "E211", that is the identical additive: sodium benzoate.

A number on a label is not a warning sign. It simply means the additive has been assessed and assigned an identity. The detail is what matters — which is what the search below is for.

What the origin tag means

Each entry below is tagged with where the substance typically comes from. It won't always be printed on the pack — emulsifier 471 and enhancer 631, for instance, can be plant- or animal-derived — so the tag flags where it's worth checking.

Full reference PDF — every code in this decoder, grouped by family, in a printable two-page sheet for the kitchen or the shops.
Download the PDF ↓