Lactitol
Function: Sugar Alcohol
E966 is the European food-additive number for Lactitol. Lactitol (E966) is an emulsifier used as a food additive.
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 regulatory flags” 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 the verified vegan and vegetarian status per product. Always read the label for allergens.
Which foods contain E966?
E966 appears in 92 of the 4.7 million products in Forkin's catalogue — most often in dark chocolate, ice cream and milk chocolate.
- Dark Chocolate17
- Ice Cream9
- Milk Chocolate8
- Protein Bars7
- Nougat / Turrón6
- Candy & Sweets6
- Chocolate Candy4
- Chewing Gum3
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. Lactitol (E966) is an emulsifier used as a food additive.
- Which foods contain E966?
- E966 appears in 92 of the 4.7 million products in Forkin's catalogue — most often in dark chocolate, ice cream 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 the verified vegan and vegetarian status per product, 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 regulatory flags" 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/vegetarian status, alternative names, and which products in your scan history contain it. See view pricing.