Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Sodium diacetate
Sodium diacetate is an acid in the savory family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3900 (CAS 126-96-5). Its odor is vinegar, tangy, acetic, sharp.
- FEMA
- 3900
- CAS
- 126-96-5
- EU FL
- 16.073
- Formula
- C4H7NaO4
- EC
- 204-814-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 18. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 126-96-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Acetic acid, sodium salt (2:1), Acetic acid, sodium salt, compd. with acetic acid (1:1), Dykon, Sodium acid acetate, Sodium hydrogen diacetate, Sodium acetate (1:2), Meatshure 501, acetic acid, sodium salt (2:1), sodium hydrogen diacetate, sodium acid acetate, dykon, acid acetate.
Can Sodium diacetate be labeled natural?
Sodium diacetate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: sodium diacetate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized sodium diacetate is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Sodium diacetate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3900. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1754.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 16.073, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Sodium diacetate has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Sodium diacetate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 126-96-5, where EPA names it Acetic acid, sodium salt (2:1).
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Vinegar, tangy, acetic, sharp.
Taste: Sour, tangy, salty.
Where it is used
Sodium diacetate is used in seasoning, snack foods, preservatives and condiments, typically as a savory note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Sodium diacetate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acetone | 3326 | 86% | In nature |
| Ethanol | 2419 | 84% | In nature |
| Pyruvaldehyde | 2969 | 80% | In nature |
| Acetaldehyde | 2003 | 80% | In nature |
| Ethylamine | 4236 | 70% | In nature |
More acids in this index
L-Aspartic acid · 4-Aminobutyric acid · Disodium succinate · N-Acetyl glutamate · l-Glutamic acid · trans-2-Methyl-2-butenoic acid
Sodium diacetate FAQ
Is sodium diacetate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists sodium diacetate as GRAS under FEMA number 3900. It is also codified at 21 CFR 184.1754.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for sodium diacetate?
Sodium diacetate is FEMA 3900, CAS 126-96-5. FEMA files it in the savory flavor category.
Does sodium diacetate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Since sodium diacetate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when sodium diacetate is synthesized. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
Is sodium diacetate on the EU Union List?
Sodium diacetate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 16.073 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
How is sodium diacetate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe sodium diacetate as vinegar, tangy, acetic, sharp. On the palate it is sour, tangy, salty. It is used in seasoning, snack foods, preservatives and condiments.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check Sodium diacetate in a formula
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as SODIUM DIACETATE under CAS 126-96-5 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavoring agent or adjuvant.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.