· 5 min read
On an instant noodle pack, additives are listed separately for the noodle cake and for the seasoning sachets. All four labels read here list the flavour enhancers E621, E627 and E631, and the antioxidants E320 and E321 in the noodle cake. Below is each code on the labels, what it is and its status in Vietnam.
On 4 September 2026 VietnamPlus published an article on how to read an instant noodle ingredient list. It argues that the question is not whether additives are present, but which group they belong to, what they are used for and at what level [1]. The article uses Acecook Việt Nam products as its example.
In April 2025 the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) issued Notice 606/TB-ATTP asking for the sale, circulation and use of four monosodium L-glutamate items to be suspended from 28 March 2025. The notice gives the reason as a breach of the rules on product labelling [2].
The table below comes from the ingredient list on the manufacturer's or retailer's product page; the exact wording of each label is in the Sources section. The middle column lists only the codes printed on the label, not amounts.
| Product | Codes on the label | Highest level |
|---|---|---|
| Hảo Hảo (one flavour, per the Acecook page)[3] | Noodle cake: E621 E501 E500 E451 E320 E321. Seasoning: E621 E631 E627 E330 | moderate |
| Lẩu Thái Tôm, Thai hotpot shrimp (Acecook)[4] | Noodle cake: E621 E466 E451 E501 E500 E320 E321. Seasoning: E621 E631 E627 E364 E951 E330 | moderate |
| Đệ Nhất Mì Gia minced pork (Acecook)[5] | Noodle cake: E1420 E621 E466 E451 E452 E500 E320 E321. Seasoning: E621 E364 E631 E627 E551 E330 E202 | moderate |
| Omachi Spaghetti sauce, beef (mixed noodles)[6] | Noodle cake: E621 E320 E321. Soup: E621 E330 E627 E631 E307 | moderate |
Of these four labels, only Đệ Nhất Mì Gia lists a preservative, code 202, in the seasoning sachet [5]. The other three have no preservative line [3][4][6]. The Lẩu Thái Tôm label is the only one with code 951, printed inside the flavour-enhancer brackets [4].
Below are the codes in the table, grouped by the function printed on the label. Each code's status in Vietnam is on its own page; the three main flavour enhancers are quoted straight from Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT.
“Based on the NOAEL of 3,200 mg monosodium glutamate/kg bw per day from the neurodevelopmental toxicity study and applying the default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel derived a group acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg/kg bw per day, expressed as glutamic acid, for glutamic acid and glutamates (E 620-625).”
Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives[8]
EFSA published this re-evaluation in 2017 [8]. In the same abstract EFSA notes that intake of glutamic acid and glutamates in some population groups exceeds the proposed ADI [8].
Among the four labels read, only Đệ Nhất Mì Gia lists a preservative (202), in the seasoning sachet [5]. A VietnamPlus article says that at Acecook Vietnam's factory the noodle cake is fried or dried to low moisture, which is unfavourable for microorganisms [1].
Yenzo gives no general verdict for the whole product group. This article shows which codes are on the label, their status in Vietnam and the ADI where one exists, for example 30 mg/kg body weight a day for glutamates according to EFSA [8].
Yenzo does not rank products. The Hảo Hảo label (one flavour, per the Acecook page) lists 621 in both the noodle cake and the seasoning, plus 631, 627 and 330 in the seasoning and 320 and 321 in the noodle cake [3].
Yenzo gives no health advice for specific groups. This article only shows which codes the label lists; diet during pregnancy is a question for a doctor or dietitian.
Updated: 22 October 2026
Yenzo reads the label, even in Vietnamese, and shows which additives a product contains.
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