Potassium | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Potassium is an essential dietary mineral and electrolyte required for normal cell function, fluid balance, nerve impulse transmission, and muscle contraction. It is naturally present in many foods and is also added in the form of potassium salts (e.g., potassium chloride) as a sodium substitute, stabiliser, or acidity regulator in processed foods.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Potassium is safe and beneficial for the general adult population at recommended dietary intake levels (3,500–4,700 mg/day); no tolerable upper intake level (UL) has been formally established for potassium from food sources by EFSA or WHO. Excess potassium intake (hyperkalemia) poses a risk primarily to individuals with impaired kidney function, who cannot excrete surplus potassium efficiently. Low potassium intakes are associated with elevated blood pressure and increased stroke risk in the general population.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies set an Adequate Intake (AI) of 3,500 mg/day for adult men and women. No formal UL has been set for potassium from food. Potassium salts (e.g., E 508 potassium chloride) are approved food additives under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. For lactating women the AI is 4,000 mg/day.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	FSSAI FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 permit use of potassium salts as food additives and salt substitutes. When a potassium salt is used as a salt substitute, total potassium expressed as mg cation per 100 g must be declared on the label. Note: FSSAI has banned potassium bromate specifically, which is a distinct compound.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Potassium chloride is affirmed as GRAS under 21 CFR 184.1622. Recommended dietary intake for adults is 4,700 mg/day. No formal UL set for food-source potassium; excess from supplements/salt substitutes may be hazardous to those with kidney disease.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Kidney Disease — Impaired kidneys cannot efficiently excrete potassium, making high dietary or additive-derived potassium intake a serious risk for hyperkalemia, which can cause cardiac arrhythmia; EU-authorised potassium additives in processed foods are a clinically relevant hidden source (PMC8540085).

Heart Disease — Patients on potassium-sparing diuretics or ACE inhibitors for heart conditions may be at risk of hyperkalemia from elevated potassium intake and should consult a doctor before consuming high-potassium foods or potassium salt substitutes.

Infants — EFSA sets a much lower age-specific Adequate Intake for infants (750 mg/day for ages 7–11 months) extrapolated from adult values; potassium supplementation or salt-substitute use is not appropriate for infants without medical guidance.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FSSAI. FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 — Chapter 2.11: Other Food Products and Ingredients. fssai.gov.in
2PubMed. Are Food Additives a Really Problematic Hidden Source of Potassium for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients? — PMC (Nutrients, 2021), 2021. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3FDA. Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000618 — Potassium Chloride (21 CFR 184.1622), 2018. fda.gov
4PubMed. Revised Reference Values for Potassium Intake — PMC (Nutrition Reviews, 2017), 2017. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5EFSA. Dietary reference values for potassium — EFSA Journal 2016;14(10):4592, 2016. efsa.europa.eu
6EFSA. Dietary reference values: advice on potassium — EFSA Press Release, 2016. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched6 citations