Sodium Chlorite 亜塩素酸ナトリウム

In Japan

• A bleaching agent and sterilizer. Under the standards for use, it may be used only on citrus peel (for confectionery), cherries, butterbur (fuki), grapes, peaches, processed herring roe (kazunoko), vegetables eaten raw, eggshells, and meat and meat products, and it must be decomposed or removed before the final food is completed.
• Under the Food Labeling Standards, substances that are removed before the food is completed, for example, are treated as “processing aids” (加工助剤) and are exempt from additive labeling.

Japan's standards for use

• Citrus peel (only for use in making confectionery), cherries, butterbur (fuki), grapes, peaches: permitted
• Processed herring roe (kazunoko) (excluding dried and frozen herring roe), vegetables eaten raw, eggs (eggshell only): soaking solution 0.50 g/kg
• Meat and meat products: soaking solution or spray solution 0.50 to 1.20 g/kg (a solution of pH 2.3 to 2.9, used within 30 seconds)
• 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.
• It is not listed in the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), and its use as a food additive is not permitted.

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（内閣府令）本則・附則 (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.

Other substances used as bleaching agent, disinfectant

• Hydrogen Peroxide