Food additive databasebleaching agent, disinfectantChecked 2026-10-02
Hydrogen Peroxide 過酸化水素
Designated additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- bleaching agent, disinfectant
- On the label
- Because it is decomposed or removed before the final food is completed, labeling is often exempt as a processing aid
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- 過酸化水素 (No. 99)
In Japan
- Used for bleaching and sterilizing. Under the standards for use, the residue in boiled whitebait (kamaage shirasu) and dried whitebait (shirasu-boshi) must be less than 0.005 g/kg, and in all other foods it must be decomposed or removed before the final food is completed.
- Additives that are removed before the food is completed and do not remain in it are exempt from additive labeling as processing aids (Food Labeling Standards).
Japan's standards for use
- Boiled whitebait (kamaage shirasu) and dried whitebait (shirasu-boshi): maximum residue of less than 0.005 g/kg as hydrogen peroxide
- All other foods: must be decomposed or removed before the final food is completed
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
- List of Designated Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 食品表示基準（平成27年内閣府令第10号）第3条（加工助剤・栄養強化の表示免除）（e-Gov 法令検索） (Japanese)
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.