Sulfite allergy and sensitivity: symptoms, foods high in sulfites and labelling

● Allergen Details

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| What is sulphites?

Sulphites are preservatives used to prevent browning, control bacteria, and extend shelf life. By EU law, foods containing more than 10 mg/kg of sulphites must declare them. Common forms include E220–E228.

| Where is sulphites found?

Sulphites are in wine, beer, dried fruit, fruit juices, pickles, sausages, processed shrimp, instant mashed potato, and many condiments and dressings.

| Common symptoms of sulphites allergy

Sulphites do not cause a classic allergy but can trigger severe reactions in sensitive people, especially those with asthma — wheezing, breathing difficulty, hives, and even anaphylaxis-like reactions.

Sulfite allergy or sulfite sensitivity?

Sulfites (sulphites in British spelling) are sulphur-based preservatives: sulphur dioxide and the sodium, potassium and calcium sulfites, bisulfites and metabisulfites — E220 to E228 on European labels. They stop browning, kill microbes and keep wine from oxidising. They are also produced naturally in small amounts by fermentation, which is why even "no added sulfites" wine contains some.

Because sulfites are small molecules rather than proteins, they rarely cause a true IgE allergy. What most people have is a sensitivity: a reaction, most often in the airways, whose mechanism is not fully understood. It affects an estimated 3–10% of people with asthma and is rare in everyone else. Anaphylaxis-like reactions have been reported, which is why sulfites are treated as an allergen in law.

Sulfite allergy symptoms

Reactions typically appear within minutes of eating or drinking:

• Wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath — the dominant symptom in asthmatics, sometimes severe
• Flushing, hives, itching, swelling of the face
• Nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose
• Stomach pain, nausea, diarrhoea
• Dizziness, a drop in blood pressure, rarely collapse

A "wine headache" or facial flushing after red wine is more often caused by histamine or alcohol than by sulfites; white wine and dried fruit usually contain far more sulfite than red. Diagnosis is by a supervised oral challenge — skin and blood tests are not reliable for sulfites.

Sulfite food list: where sulfites are highest

Sulfite content varies enormously. The foods most likely to trigger reactions are the high-sulfite ones:

• Dried fruit: apricots, golden raisins, sultanas, dried apple, mango, coconut (very high — often 500–2,000 mg/kg); prunes and dark raisins are usually lower
• Wine (especially white and sweet wines), cider, beer, wine vinegar, grape juice
• Prawns, shrimp and lobster (dipped in metabisulfite on the boat), frozen and fresh
• Processed potato: frozen fries, dehydrated mashed potato, pre-peeled potatoes, crisps
• Pickled and preserved vegetables, sauerkraut, glacé cherries, candied fruit, maraschino cherries
• Fruit juices and cordials, lemon and lime juice from concentrate, bottled lemon juice
• Sausages, burgers and minced meat in some countries (permitted in the UK, not for fresh meat in the EU)
• Jams, fruit fillings, molasses, corn syrup, some sugars
• Condiments: mustard, horseradish, chutneys, salad dressings, gelatin
• Some medicines and injectable drugs, including certain adrenaline and local-anaesthetic preparations

Low-sulfite or sulfite-free: fresh fruit and vegetables (except where pre-cut and treated), fresh meat and fish, plain grains, dairy, eggs, and most spirits.

How sulfites are labelled: E220–E228 and the 10 mg rule

In the EU and UK, any food or drink containing more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l of sulphur dioxide must declare it, either in the highlighted ingredients list or, on wine, as "contains sulphites". Below that threshold nothing appears. The E numbers to know are E220 sulphur dioxide, E221 sodium sulfite, E222 sodium bisulfite, E223 sodium metabisulfite, E224 potassium metabisulfite, E226 calcium sulfite, E227 calcium bisulfite and E228 potassium bisulfite. Our [E220 page](/additives/e220-sulphur-dioxide/) has the regulatory detail. The US applies the same 10 ppm rule and has banned sulfites on fresh fruit and vegetables since 1986. Abroad look for Sulfite (German), sulfites (French), sulfitos (Spanish), solfiti (Italian), sulfiet (Dutch), siarczyny (Polish) and sulfiti (Croatian).

| How Allervibe helps you avoid sulphites

Allervibe lists every E-number on the label, including E220 (sulphur dioxide) through E228 (potassium hydrogen sulphite), so you can spot sulphites at a glance.