TempoLife › Features › E-number additive encyclopedia › e252
Potassium nitrate (E252)
Potassium nitrate is a preservative (curing) used in cured meats, cheeses.. The EFSA acceptable daily intake is 3.7 mg per kg of body weight per day — about 222 mg a day for a 60 kg adult.
What it does
Same group ADI as E251.
Where you meet it
Cured meats, cheeses.
What the ADI means in practice
222 mg per day is the figure for a 60 kg adult — multiply or divide for your own weight. EFSA derives ADIs with a safety margin of typically 100×, and they describe daily lifetime intake. A single day above the ADI does not translate to harm; a permanent diet above it is what the limit exists to prevent.
This page describes the general scientific position. Allergies and sensitivities are individual: if your body disagrees with an additive, avoid it regardless of any ADI.
Sources: EFSA — food additives re-evaluations · Open Food Facts — additives taxonomy · checked 2026-09-03
Frequently asked questions
What is Potassium nitrate (E252)?
Preservative (curing). Same group ADI as E251. It is used in Cured meats, cheeses.
How much potassium nitrate is safe?
EFSA set the ADI at 3.7 mg per kg body weight per day — 222 mg per day for a 60 kg adult, every day for a lifetime. It is a long-run average, not a single-meal limit.
Should I avoid potassium nitrate?
For a healthy adult there is no reason to avoid it at typical intakes. If you have a diagnosed sensitivity or a health condition, your clinician's advice is the one that counts.
E100 · Curcumin
Colour (yellow)
E101 · Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Colour (yellow)
E102 · Tartrazine
Colour (yellow)
E104 · Quinoline yellow
Colour (yellow-green)
E110 · Sunset yellow FCF
Colour (orange)
E120 · Carmine / cochineal
Colour (red)
Label-literate and hungry
TempoLife turns the reading habit into a food plan: what you eat, how much, and where it leaves your day.