Sulfite Sensitivity Food Scanner — E220–E228, Wine, Dried Fruit
Sulfite sensitivity is not technically an IgE food allergy in most people — it is a non-IgE hypersensitivity, often respiratory in asthmatics, or a metabolic intolerance. But the avoidance behavior is identical, which is why SafePantry treats sulfites as a profile-able allergen alongside peanut and milk. Sulfites are a top-14 EU mandatory disclosure above 10 mg/kg under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, and the FDA requires the same threshold on US packaged foods. They preserve wine, dried fruit, processed potatoes, frozen shrimp, pickled vegetables, soft drinks, and — ironically — many of the medications that treat asthma. SafePantry checks every barcode against the world's largest open food database, flags 'contains sulfites' and the full E220–E228 numeric range, and gives you a safe / caution / unsafe verdict in two seconds. Free, no ads, no tracking.
Sulfite sensitivity is the odd allergen in any allergen-scanner app. Most of what SafePantry catches — peanut, tree nut, milk, egg — is mediated by IgE antibodies and behaves like classical food allergy: ingestion, antibody-mediated mast-cell degranulation, anaphylaxis as the worst-case endpoint. Sulfite reactions don't work that way. In the dominant clinical picture, sulfite-sensitive individuals are asthmatic, and inhalation or ingestion of sulfur dioxide gas (released by sulfite preservatives when they hit moisture and acid) triggers bronchospasm — a respiratory reaction, not the histamine-led whole-body cascade of IgE anaphylaxis. A smaller subset of sulfite-sensitive individuals has a sulfite-oxidase metabolic deficiency, and an even smaller subset shows true IgE-mediated sulfite allergy with hives and swelling. The clinical management overlaps: avoid sulfites, carry a rescue inhaler (or epinephrine if your allergist has prescribed it), read every label.
That clinical caveat matters when you read the literature, but for label-reading it doesn't change the day-to-day. The threshold for required disclosure is the same in the US (FDA, above 10 ppm) and EU (Regulation 1169/2011, above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L expressed as SO2). The E-numbers you need to know are E220 (sulfur dioxide), E221 (sodium sulfite), E222 (sodium bisulfite), E223 (sodium metabisulfite), E224 (potassium metabisulfite), E226 (calcium sulfite), E227 (calcium bisulfite), and E228 (potassium bisulfite). All eight do the same job — they release SO2 in acidic moist conditions and prevent enzymatic browning and microbial spoilage — and from an avoidance standpoint they are interchangeable. US labels usually say 'sulfites' or 'sulfur dioxide'; EU labels usually use the E-number.
Wine is the headline source. Red wine often runs 50–200 ppm sulfites; white wine is typically lower (20–100 ppm); 'sulfite-free' wines exist but they are rare and expensive. 'Organic' wines are usually lower-sulfite — by EU rule below 100 ppm for red and below 150 ppm for white — but they are not sulfite-free, because grapes naturally produce small amounts of sulfite during fermentation regardless of additions. Beer, cider, and some vinegars carry meaningful sulfite loads too. For asthmatic adults, restaurant wine and house cider are the dominant exposure routes.
For children — who SafePantry is built for — wine is rarely the issue. The pediatric exposure routes are dried fruit (especially commercial apricots, raisins, and yellow figs, which are heavily sulfite-treated to retain color), processed potato products (frozen fries, dehydrated mash, hash brown mixes), commercial frozen shrimp (sulfites prevent black-spot melanosis on shells), bottled lemon juice, maraschino cherries, soft drinks, pickled vegetables, some packaged guacamole, and molasses. The asthma-sulfite connection is the most important clinical fact: a child whose asthma flares unpredictably and disproportionately around certain foods should be evaluated for sulfite sensitivity, because the asthma trigger is often missed.
The cruelest irony is that several asthma medications themselves contain sulfites. Some inhaled bronchodilators, several oral steroid preparations, and a number of injectable epinephrine formulations include sulfite as a stabilizer. ACAAI's position is that the bronchodilator or epinephrine should still be used in an emergency — the risk of withholding rescue medication far exceeds the risk of the sulfite preservative — but it is a real consideration for daily-controller selection. Talk to your allergist about sulfite-free formulations of any chronic medication.
And if you have more than one child with different allergies, or one with an IgE allergy and one with sulfite-triggered asthma, the math is on your shoulders every trip. Most scanner apps check one allergen at a time. That's not how families work.
How SafePantry handles it
SafePantry uses Open Food Facts — the world's largest open food database, with over 3 million products and growing — as its source of truth. Every product is tagged with a canonical allergen taxonomy. Sulfites map to en:sulphur-dioxide-and-sulphites, and SafePantry matches on the tag regardless of which numeric label the product uses. E220 (sulfur dioxide), E221, E222, E223 (sodium metabisulfite), E224, E226, E227, E228, plain 'sulfites', and plain 'sulfur dioxide' all collapse to the same canonical allergen.
When you scan, SafePantry checks three things in parallel: (1) is a sulfite compound in the declared ingredient list, (2) is sulfite listed in any precautionary statement on the label, and (3) does the manufacturer have a known history of sulfite use in this product category. The verdict — green, yellow, red — reflects the strictest finding. For sulfites specifically, SafePantry treats the 10-ppm legal-disclosure threshold as a hard line: below that threshold the product is not required to declare sulfites and Open Food Facts won't tag it, so the verdict depends on the ingredient list as printed.
Every family member has their own profile. You can have one kid with sulfite-triggered asthma, another with peanut, a parent with celery and sulfites both. The verdict screen shows the per-kid breakdown so you can see at a glance who in your family can eat this and who can't. When Open Food Facts doesn't have the product (about 1 in 5 in the US right now), SafePantry falls back to label-capture — point the camera at the ingredient list and the same allergen engine parses it on-device, scanning explicitly for the E220–E228 numeric range as well as the spelled-out names.
None of this data leaves your phone. There's no account. There are no ads. There is no third-party analytics that can sell your child's allergy profile to an advertiser.
Hidden sources of sulfites
These products contain sulfites more often than parents expect — always check the label.
Wine (especially red)
Red wine often runs 50–200 ppm sulfites; white wine is typically lower; 'sulfite-free' wines exist but are rare and never reach zero because grapes naturally produce trace sulfites during fermentation.
Dried fruit (apricots, raisins, golden raisins, figs)
Sulfites preserve bright color in commercial dried fruit. Sun-dried (brown) apricots and raisins are lower-sulfite; the brilliant orange-yellow ones are heavily treated.
Commercial frozen shrimp
Sulfite dip prevents 'black spot' melanosis on shrimp shells during transport. Many imported frozen shrimp carry residual sulfites even after rinsing.
Processed potato products
Frozen french fries, dehydrated mash, hash-brown mixes, and instant potato flakes use sulfites to prevent enzymatic browning during processing. This is one of the most overlooked pediatric exposure routes.
Bottled lemon and lime juice
ReaLemon, ReaLime, and most shelf-stable bottled citrus juices use sulfites to prevent browning and stabilize the product.
Maraschino cherries
The neon-red color and indefinite shelf life of supermarket maraschino cherries depend on sulfite treatment.
Pickled vegetables (some)
Sulfites are common in commercial pickled onions, sauerkraut, and giardiniera; check the label rather than assuming.
Soft drinks and fruit cordials
Some fruit-flavored sodas and cordials, especially in the EU and UK, use sulfites as preservatives. Less common in major US carbonated brands but increasingly present in craft sodas.
Vinegar (wine, balsamic, malt)
Wine vinegars and balsamic vinegars often retain residual sulfites from the wine they were made from; malt vinegar sometimes adds sulfites for stability.
Molasses
Unsulfured molasses is a distinct product category for a reason — standard commercial molasses uses sulfite during processing.
Packaged guacamole and salsa
Sulfites prevent avocado browning in shelf-stable and refrigerated guacamole tubs. Cilantro-heavy salsas sometimes use sulfites for color retention.
Some asthma medications
A few inhaled bronchodilators, oral steroid preparations, and injectable epinephrine formulations contain sulfite as a stabilizer. Talk to your allergist about sulfite-free formulations of any daily-controller medication.
Brands frequently safe for sulfites-allergic families
This list reflects manufacturer policies and Open Food Facts data at the time of writing. Always read the current label — formulations and facility policies change.
Brand
Notes
Made In Nature (organic dried fruit)
Organic dried apricots, mangoes, and raisins processed without added sulfites; the apricots are visibly brown, not orange — that's the marker of no sulfite.
Bare Snacks (apple chips, banana chips)
Baked fruit chips with no added sulfites; ingredient list is fruit-only.
365 Whole Foods (sulfite-free dried fruit line)
Specific SKUs labeled 'unsulfured' — verify the bag, since the brand carries both sulfite-treated and untreated versions.
Frey Vineyards (sulfite-free wines)
One of the few US wineries producing genuinely no-added-sulfite wines; relevant for adult family members rather than children.
Enjoy Life Foods
Free of the top-14 allergens including sulfites; consistent across the full snack lineup.
MadeGood
Top-14-allergen-free granola bars and crackers; school-safe certification covers sulfites.
Partake Foods
Top-9-allergen-free crackers and cookies that also voluntarily exclude sulfites; rigorous third-party audits.
Cascadian Farm (most frozen vegetables)
Organic frozen vegetables without sulfite-based browning prevention; check individual SKUs for added preservatives.
365 Whole Foods (frozen french fries)
The organic line is typically sulfite-free; the conventional line varies — scan to confirm.
Santa Cruz Organic (lemon and lime juice)
Organic bottled citrus juices without sulfite preservatives; relies on refrigeration after opening rather than chemical preservation.
Frequently asked questions
Is sulfite sensitivity actually a food allergy?
In the strict immunological sense, usually not. Most sulfite reactions are not mediated by IgE antibodies — they are bronchospasm-dominant respiratory reactions in asthmatic individuals (the largest group), metabolic reactions in people with sulfite-oxidase deficiency, or non-IgE hypersensitivity reactions. A small minority of sulfite-sensitive individuals do show true IgE-mediated allergy with hives and angioedema. The avoidance behavior is identical across all of these clinical pictures: read every label, look for E220–E228, watch for the phrase 'contains sulfites'. The clinical management varies — a rescue inhaler is usually the central tool for asthmatic sulfite sensitivity, whereas IgE-allergic individuals carry epinephrine. SafePantry treats sulfites as a profile-able allergen because the avoidance task is essentially the same as for the IgE allergens, even though the immunology is different. Talk to your allergist about which clinical picture fits your child and what rescue medication is appropriate.
Are organic wines sulfite-free?
No, but they are usually lower-sulfite. EU rules set the limit for organic red wine at 100 ppm sulfites (versus 150 ppm for conventional) and organic white at 150 ppm (versus 200 ppm). 'No added sulfites' wines exist — a small category, often from biodynamic producers like Frey Vineyards in California or Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in France — but they still carry trace levels (typically 5–15 ppm) because the wild yeast on grape skins produces sulfite during fermentation regardless of whether the winemaker adds any. For asthmatic sulfite-sensitive adults, organic wine is a meaningful reduction but not a guarantee, and a single glass of wine can still trigger bronchospasm at the higher end. The pediatric implication is mostly indirect — wine is rarely served to children — but worth knowing because sangria, cooking wine, and wine-based sauces appear on many family menus.
What's the difference between E220 and E228? Should I avoid all of them?
From an avoidance standpoint, treat E220, E221, E222, E223, E224, E226, E227, and E228 as the same allergen. E220 is sulfur dioxide gas (the most direct form); the others are sulfite or bisulfite salts of sodium, potassium, or calcium that release SO2 in acidic moist conditions. They are functionally interchangeable as preservatives, and clinical studies have not demonstrated consistent differences in the threshold at which sensitive individuals react. EU labels typically use the E-number; US labels typically spell out 'sulfites' or 'sulfur dioxide'. SafePantry matches the canonical Open Food Facts sulfite tag regardless of which specific compound or notation a label uses, so the verdict is consistent.
Can sulfites trigger asthma even at low doses?
Yes — for asthmatic sulfite-sensitive individuals, doses as low as 5–10 mg of ingested sulfite (or a single inhalation of SO2 gas released by an opening wine bottle or salad bar) can trigger meaningful bronchospasm. This is why the FDA banned sulfites on fresh fruits and vegetables sold for raw consumption (the old salad-bar problem from the 1980s) and why the 10-ppm labeling threshold exists — even residual sulfites can be a problem for the asthmatic subset. ACAAI estimates that 5–10% of severe asthmatics are sulfite-sensitive, and the population prevalence is roughly 1% overall. If your child has asthma that flares unpredictably around certain foods, ask your allergist about sulfite sensitivity specifically — it is one of the more commonly missed asthma triggers.
What about sulfites in asthma medications?
Real but manageable. A small number of inhaled bronchodilator solutions, oral steroid preparations, and even some injectable epinephrine formulations contain sulfites as a stabilizer. The ACAAI position is that the bronchodilator or epinephrine should still be used in any emergency — the risk of withholding rescue medication far exceeds the risk of the sulfite preservative — but it is a real consideration when selecting a daily controller. Ask your allergist about sulfite-free formulations for any chronic medication your sulfite-sensitive child takes. Most modern metered-dose inhalers (HFA propellant) are sulfite-free; older nebulizer solutions are the higher-risk category. SafePantry does not scan medication labels — that's an allergist conversation.
Are restaurant wines safe?
For asthmatic sulfite-sensitive adults, restaurant wine is the dominant exposure route by a wide margin. Most restaurant pours are conventional wine (50–200 ppm sulfites for red, somewhat lower for white); 'low-sulfite' wine lists are appearing in some natural-wine bars but are still uncommon. The practical workaround is to ask the sommelier or manager directly, scan the wine bottle if possible (label photo + SafePantry's label-capture path), and choose a beer, cider, or spirit alternative when in doubt. Sparkling wines, fortified wines (sherry, port), and dessert wines run higher sulfite than still wine. The pediatric implication is mostly indirect — wine-based sauces, marinated meats, and tiramisu are the kid-relevant restaurant exposures.
Is SafePantry free?
Yes. Core scanning, multi-kid profiles, and the verdict engine are free forever. An optional Family Pro upgrade (annual subscription or one-time lifetime) unlocks restaurant-menu scanning, recipe scanning, pantry inventory, and reaction-journal PDF export, but you never need it to check whether a product is safe.
Does scanning send my data anywhere?
Scanning sends only the barcode to Open Food Facts to look up the product. Your child's allergen profile, scan history, and family information stay on your phone. There is no account, no advertising SDK, and no third-party analytics that could profile your family. The privacy details are on our privacy page.