Nathalie Golden of the Food Standards Agency offers information and advice. - Q. What are E-numbers? E-numbers are codes for food additives. If a food additive has an E-number, this shows it has passed safety tests and been approved for use throughout the European Union. This approval is monitored, reviewed and amended in the light of new scientific data. A food additive is any substance intentionally added to food for a specific function (for example, to preserve or...