Food additive databaseantioxidant, nutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02
Sodium L-Ascorbate (Vitamin C Sodium) L－アスコルビン酸ナトリウム（別名ビタミンCナトリウム）
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E301)
- Purpose
- antioxidant, nutrient (fortification)
- On the label
- “酸化防止剤（ビタミンC）” (antioxidant (vitamin C)), “酸化防止剤（アスコルビン酸Na）” (antioxidant (sodium ascorbate)), “ビタミンC” (vitamin C), “V.C” (vitamin C)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- L－アスコルビン酸ナトリウム（別名ビタミンCナトリウム） (No. 11)
In Japan
- The sodium salt of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid). There are no standards for use (rules on which foods it may be used in or how much).
- When used as an antioxidant, it is written together with its purpose name, as in “酸化防止剤（ビタミンC）” (antioxidant (vitamin C)). Its short names are “アスコルビン酸Na” (sodium ascorbate), “ビタミンC” (vitamin C), and “V.C”. When used for nutritional fortification, labeling may, in principle, be omitted (CAA, Annex to the Food Labeling Standards explanatory notice).
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 on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E301.
When it is labeled under a shared name
Sodium L-Ascorbate (Vitamin C Sodium) may be declared on the label in the same way as “酸化防止剤（ビタミンC・ビタミンE）”. See Antioxidant (vitamin C / vitamin E) for details.
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
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物1-1〜1-5（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲）東京都保健医療局の掲載版 (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.