YenzoWhat is E219 (sodium methyl p-hydroxybenzoate)?
It is sodium methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, the sodium salt of methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (E218), E219 in the preservative group.
E219Sodium methyl p-hydroxybenzoate
E219 is sodium methyl para-hydroxybenzoate, the sodium salt of methylparaben, one of the parabens. In food it holds back moulds, yeasts and bacteria.
- Code
- E219 · INS 219
- Group
- Preservative
In VietnamNot on Vietnam's list of permitted additivesNot on Vietnam's list of permitted additives (Circular 24/2019); it may be used only in a product whose declaration is registered with the Vietnam Food Administration
Risk level on the Yenzo Scalelow?Based on EFSA's scientific assessment, 2004
How E219 appears on labels
IngredientsIllustrative example
Wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, preservative (219), dried onion and garlic, pepper, natural colour (160a).
preservative (219)preservative 219E219INS 219
Questions about sodium methyl p-hydroxybenzoate
Is sodium methyl para-hydroxybenzoate harmful?
In 2004 EFSA set a full group ADI of 0–10 mg/kg body weight per day for the sum of the methyl and ethyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and their sodium salts (E 219 is the sodium salt of methyl para-hydroxybenzoate), based on a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 1000 mg/kg body weight per day for each compound in long-term studies and in studies on sex hormones and the male reproductive organs in juvenile rats.
Is E219 permitted in Vietnam?
Sodium methyl para-hydroxybenzoate (INS 219) is not listed in Appendix 1 (the list of additives permitted in food) of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT. Methyl para-hydroxybenzoate (INS 218) is listed there.
Other preservatives
E216Propyl p-hydroxybenzoatehighE217Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoatehighE218Methyl p-hydroxybenzoatelowE220Sulphur dioxidemoderateE221Sodium sulphitemoderateE222Sodium hydrogen sulphitemoderate
See all preservatives →Updated 21 October 2026