Sodium Benzoate FAQs

Some of your products contain Sodium Benzoate. I recently heard something about this being a problem in soft drinks. Is there any danger with this in your products?

Benzoic acid, benzoates, and related compounds have been extensively studied and have a long history of safe use, but also occur naturally in foods such as fruits and berries, as these form naturally during normal plant metabolic processes.

Since the 1990’s the Food and Drug Administration has apparently been aware that benzene, a carcinogen, could form at the ppb (parts per billion) level in some soft drink beverages that contain benzoate preservatives and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The vast majority of beverages that included these ingredients contained either no detectable benzene or levels below the 5 ppb limit for drinking water. The level in these products did not and do not constitute an imminent health hazard.

Our Quality Assurance department is aware of sodium benzoate. We have tested all of our products containing benzoates and Vitamin C and determined that they contain no benzene (none detected). We will continue to monitor NOW products with these ingredients.