Food additive databasenutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02

Heme Iron ヘム鉄

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: nutrient (fortification)
On the label: “ヘム鉄” (heme iron) (labeling is exempt when used for nutritional fortification)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: ヘム鉄 (No. 270)
Source and production: Obtained by separation from hemoglobin treated with a protein-degrading enzyme. The main component is heme iron (as defined in the compositional specifications).

In Japan

Obtained by separation from hemoglobin treated with a protein-degrading enzyme, with heme iron as the main component (Japanese Standards of Food Additives, 10th edition). Its purpose in the list of items in the List of Existing Food Additives is fortifier. There are no standards for use.
When used for nutritional fortification, labeling is exempt (except for foods for special dietary uses and foods with functional claims).

Japan's standards for use

There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).

This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.

In the EU

It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.

Other substances used as nutrient (fortification)

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