Food Safety Substance

Formic acidE236

Formic acid (E236) is a food additive with Restricted in the EU, GRAS in the US, and data from 6 regulatory sources.

CAS 64-18-6 E236 Indexable evidence set

FDA

GRAS

ADI / TDI

EFSA ADI = 0.3 mg/kg bw

Codex

0 row(s)

SOURCE D1 identity resolution e number aliases | Food Additives | dsstox identifiers | 6 matched regulatory source group(s)

Substance Identity

Resolved identifiers used to render this food-safety record.

Substance name

Formic acid

CAS

64-18-6

E-number

E236

DTXSID

DTXSID2024115

PubChem CID

284

Evidence tier

Indexable evidence set (13)

SOURCE EU Commission EU Food Contact Materials

EU FCM Substances

EU food-contact material rows and migration-limit fields.

Jurisdiction	FCM no.	Ref no.	Substance	Use	SML	Regulation
European Union	114	55040	formic acid	additive/PPA	-	Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, Annex I

SOURCE JECFA JECFA ADI

JECFA ADI Values

JECFA ADI records and evaluation years.

Jurisdiction	Chemical name	JECFA no.	CAS	ADI	ADI upper	Function	Evaluation year
JECFA	ISOPROPYL FORMIC ACID	-	-	no_data	-	-	1997
JECFA	PHENYL FORMIC ACID	-	-	no_data	-	-	2021
JECFA	FORMIC ACID	79	64-18-6	0-3 mg/kg bw (1979)	3	FLAVOURING_AGENT, PRESERVATIVE	1997
JECFA	3,7-DIMETHYL-1,6-OCTADIEN-3-YL FORMIC ACID ESTER	-	-	no_data	-	-	2002
JECFA	ACETYLFORMIC ACID	-	-	no_data	-	-	2001
JECFA	ETHYLFORMIC ACID	-	-	no_data	-	-	1997
JECFA	FORMIC ACID ETHYL ESTER	-	-	no_data	-	-	1996
JECFA	FORMIC ACID, CYCLOHEXYL ESTER	-	-	no_data	-	-	2002

SOURCE ingredients ghs classifications

Cross-Reference to Cosmetics / Chemicals / Pharma

Same-CAS public rows from adjacent Roots verticals where available.

SOURCE Cross-vertical comparison ingredients | ghs classifications

Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence

This substance has different regulatory treatment across food, cosmetics, and industrial use.

CosmeticsFormic AcidEU status: restricted Industrial / GHSDangerHazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS), Safe Work Australia

SOURCE FAQPage JSON-LD public food renderer rows

Frequently Asked Questions

Food-use, safety, ADI, and cross-vertical answers mirrored into FAQPage JSON-LD.

What is Formic acid used for in food?

Formic acid appears in food-use rows as: Preservative.

Is Formic acid / E236 safe?

This page does not assign a standalone safety verdict; it renders public regulatory evidence. ADI/reference value: EFSA ADI = 0.3 mg/kg bw. EU status evidence: Restricted. US/FDA evidence: GRAS.

What is the ADI for Formic acid?

Formic acid has this ADI/reference value in the food-safety tables: EFSA ADI = 0.3 mg/kg bw. Source: EFSA CONTAM 2012.

Is Formic acid also used in cosmetics?

Formic acid has a same-CAS cosmetics cross-reference: Formic Acid, EU status restricted.