Lactitol
Function: Sweeteners
E966 is the European food-additive number for Lactitol, a sweetener — used to add a sweet taste with little or no sugar. Lactitol (E966) is an emulsifier used as a food additive.
What is E966 used for?
Lactitol (E966) is a sweetener — used to add a sweet taste with little or no sugar. It is added during food production for a technological purpose rather than for nutrition. See all Sweeteners (E-numbers).
Is E966 safe or restricted?
E966 is an approved food additive in the EU and currently carries no special regulatory restrictions in the EU additive register. Forkin classifies it as “No known concern” and does not make health claims. See the methodology for how regulatory levels are assigned, or the guide to how EU additives are approved, re-evaluated and banned.
Is E966 vegan or vegetarian?
Lactitol (E966) is typically animal-derived but obtained without slaughter, so it is generally acceptable to vegetarians while not being vegan.
Lactitol is manufactured from lactose (milk sugar). Milk is one of the 14 EU-declarable allergens, though the finished sweetener contains at most trace milk protein.
The production source can vary between manufacturers — the Forkin app shows product-specific vegan and vegetarian signals where available, based on ingredient and label data. Always read the label for allergens.
Which foods contain E966?
E966 appears in 219 of the 4.9 million products in Forkin's catalogue — most often in Ice Cream, Dark Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate.
- Ice Cream33
- Dark Chocolate29
- Milk Chocolate15
- Candy & Sweets15
- Protein Bars15
- Nougat / Turrón9
- Chewing Gum8
- Chocolate Candy7
Often appears alongside
Additives most frequently found in the same ingredient lists as E966 across the catalogue.
Counts reflect Forkin's independently enriched product catalogue and update as new products are added — they are not a market-share statistic.
Frequently asked questions about E966
- What is E966?
- E966 is the E-number for Lactitol, a sweetener — used to add a sweet taste with little or no sugar. Lactitol (E966) is an emulsifier used as a food additive.
- What is E966 used for?
- Lactitol (E966) is a sweetener — used to add a sweet taste with little or no sugar. Manufacturers add it during processing rather than for nutrition. The Forkin app shows which products in your scan history actually contain it.
- Which foods contain E966?
- E966 appears in 219 of the 4.9 million products in Forkin's catalogue — most often in Ice Cream, Dark Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate. Scan any barcode with the Forkin app to see instantly whether a specific product contains it.
- Is E966 vegan or vegetarian?
- Lactitol (E966) is typically animal-derived but obtained without slaughter, so it is generally acceptable to vegetarians while not being vegan. Lactitol is manufactured from lactose (milk sugar). Milk is one of the 14 EU-declarable allergens, though the finished sweetener contains at most trace milk protein. The Forkin app shows product-specific vegan and vegetarian signals where available, based on ingredient and label data, since the source can vary between manufacturers.
- Is E966 safe, and is it banned anywhere?
- E966 is an approved food additive in the EU and currently carries no special regulatory restrictions in the EU additive register. Forkin classifies it as ‘No known concern’ and does not make health claims — see the methodology page for how regulatory levels are assigned, and the Forkin app for the full profile, including acceptable daily intake (ADI) and restrictions by country.
See the full profile in Forkin
The Forkin app surfaces the full regulatory profile of E966 — acceptable daily intake (ADI), restrictions by country, vegan and vegetarian status, alternative names, and which products in your scan history contain it. See view pricing.