About
'Condiments' is a broad regulatory food-product category — not a single chemical ingredient or food additive — encompassing prepared products such as ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, horseradish, and similar table sauces used to flavour or accompany food. Because it is a category of finished products rather than a defined substance, it carries no CAS number, INS/E-number, or single Acceptable Daily Intake.
Safety summary
No unified safety profile exists for condiments as a category because each individual product contains its own set of food additives (e.g., preservatives such as sodium benzoate, colours, acidity regulators) that carry their own risk assessments. Common public-health concerns associated with many condiments as a class are high sodium content — the FDA has issued voluntary sodium-reduction targets specifically covering the condiments category — and the cumulative intake of individual additives present across multiple products. Safety evaluation must be conducted at the level of each specific condiment product or its constituent regulated additives, not at the category level.
Regulatory landscape
| Jurisdiction | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union) | Approved | The EU follows the Codex Alimentarius GSFA hierarchical food category system. Condiments fall under Codex Category 12.2 ('Herbs, spices, seasonings and condiments'). No EU-level ban or ADI applies to the category as a whole; food additive authorisations under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 apply to specific additives used within condiment products.source |
| FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India) | Approved | Under FSS (Labelling & Display) Regulations 2020, quantitative ingredient declaration is not required when ingredients are used as 'flavouring agents including spices or condiments or herbs or their extracts or mixed masalas or seasonings', reflecting condiments' status as a flavouring/seasoning category.source |
| FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States) | Approved | 21 CFR 101.12(b) establishes Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACC) for two condiment sub-categories: (1) condiments used in large quantity (~1 tablespoon), e.g., catsup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, marinades; (2) condiments used in small quantity (~1 teaspoon), e.g., hot sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce.source |
Who should approach with care
Research citations
- 1FDA. Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion – Guidance for Industry (21 CFR 101.12(b)). fda.gov
- 2FSSAI. Food Product Categories used for Licensing/Registration by FSSAI (FoSCoS Compiled List). foscos.fssai.gov.in
- 3other. Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) – Revised Food Categorization System, Appendix VIII. fao.org
- 4FDA. FDA Food Categories and Voluntary Targets – Explanation of Categories and Methodology, 2024. fda.gov
- 5FDA. FDA Reportable Food Summary Report – RFR Commodities Definitions, 2012. fda.gov