Food Safety Substance
ShellacE904
Shellac (E904) is a food additive with PUBLISHED in the EU, GRAS in the US, and data from 7 regulatory sources.
CAS 9000-59-3
E904
glazing_agent
Indexable evidence set
FDA
GRAS
ADI / TDI
ADI 0.4 mg/kg bw
Codex
11 row(s)
SOURCE
D1 identity resolution
e number aliases | Food Additives | dsstox identifiers | 7 matched regulatory source group(s)
Substance Identity
Resolved identifiers used to render this food-safety record.
Substance name
Shellac
CAS
9000-59-3
E-number
E904
Food category
glazing_agent
DTXSID
DTXSID00894648
Evidence tier
Indexable evidence set (12)
SOURCE
EU Commission
FDA | Health Canada | Codex Alimentarius
Multi-Jurisdiction Comparison
Side-by-side status rows for the same resolved substance across public food regulators.
| Jurisdiction | Authority | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | EU Commission | PUBLISHED | EU additive listing; Annex II entry |
| Canada | Health Canada | Listed | Glazing agent |
| Codex | Codex Alimentarius | Listed | Glazing agent |
SOURCE
EU Commission
EU Food Additives | EU Food Additives Database
EU Food Additive Status
EU Commission food-additive listing rows from eu_food_additives.
| Jurisdiction | E-number | Status | Type | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | E904 | PUBLISHED | substanceFAD | Shellac | - |
SOURCE
EU Commission
EU Annex II Authorised | EU Food Additives Database
EU Annex II Authorised Uses
Authorised additive rows and use conditions from EU Annex II tables.
| Jurisdiction | E-number | Name | INS | Policy item | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | E904 | Shellac | - | POL-FAD-IMPORT-3276 | - |
Conditions and restrictions
| Jurisdiction | Food category | Restriction | Comment | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | 5.1 Cocoa and chocolate products as covered by Directive 2000/36/EC | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 5.2 Other confectionery including breath freshening micro-sweets | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 5.3 chewing gum | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 5.4 Decorations, coatings and fillings, except fruit-based fillings covered by category 4.2.4 | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 7.2 Fine bakery wares | quantum satis | only as glazing agents only for small products of fine bakery wares coated with chocolate | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 10.2 processed eggs and egg products | quantum satis | only on the surface of unpeeled boiled eggs | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 13.2 Foods for special medical purposes as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 (excluding products from food category 13.1.5.) | ML 46000 mg/kg | only in tablet and coated tablet forms’ | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 14.1.5.1 coffee coffee extracts | quantum satis | only coffee beans, as glazing agent | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 15.1 Potato- cereal- flour- or starch-based snacks | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 15.2 Processed nuts | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 17.1 food supplements supplied in a solid form excluding food supplements for infants and young children’, | quantum satis | - | EU Annex II Union List |
| European Union | 5.1 Cocoa and chocolate products as covered by Directive 2000/36/EC | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 5.2 Other confectionery including breath freshening micro-sweets | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 5.3 chewing gum | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 5.4 Decorations, coatings and fillings, except fruit-based fillings covered by category 4.2.4 | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 15.1 Potato- cereal- flour- or starch-based snacks | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 15.2 Processed nuts | quantum satis | as glazing agent only | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 7.2 Fine bakery wares | quantum satis | only as glazing agents only for small products of fine bakery wares coated with chocolate | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 14.1.5.1 coffee coffee extracts | quantum satis | only coffee beans, as glazing agent | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 17.1 food supplements supplied in a solid form excluding food supplements for infants and young children’, | quantum satis | - | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 10.2 processed eggs and egg products | quantum satis | only on the surface of unpeeled boiled eggs | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 4.1.1 entire fresh fruit and vegetables | quantum satis | only for the surface treatment of fruit: citrus fruit, melons, apples, pears, peaches, pineapples, pomegranates, mangoes, avocados and papayas and as glazing agent on nuts Period... | EU Food Additives Database |
| European Union | 13.2 Foods for special medical purposes as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 (excluding products from food category 13.1.5.) | ML 46000 mg/kg | only in tablet and coated tablet forms’ | EU Food Additives Database |
SOURCE
Codex Alimentarius
Codex GSFA
Codex GSFA Status
Codex Alimentarius GSFA permissions and maximum-use rows.
| Jurisdiction | INS / E-number | Function | Food category | Max level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 04.1.1.2 Surface-treated fresh fruit | GMP | - |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 04.2.1.2 Surface-treated fresh vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds | GMP | For use on nuts only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 05.1.4 Cocoa and chocolate products | GMP | For use in surface treatment only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products | GMP | For use in surface treatment only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3 and 05.4 | GMP | For use in surface treatment only.; Excluding products conforming to the Codex Regional Standard for Halawa Tehenia (CODEX STAN 309R-211). |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 05.3 Chewing gum | GMP | For use in surface treatment only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit) and sweet sauces | GMP | - |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes | GMP | For use in surface treatment only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 13.6 Food supplements | GMP | For use in surface treatment only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa | GMP | For use on coffee beans only. |
| Codex | 904 | Glazing agent | 15.0 Ready-to-eat savouries | GMP | For use in surface treatment only. |
SOURCE
Health Canada
Health Canada Status
Health Canada food-additive permissions by functional class and food scope.
| Jurisdiction | Class | Permitted foods | Maximum level | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Glazing agent | (a) Cake decorations | (a) 4,000 ppm | List of Permitted Glazing Agents |
SOURCE
JECFA
JECFA ADI
JECFA ADI Values
JECFA ADI records and evaluation years.
| Jurisdiction | Chemical name | JECFA no. | CAS | ADI | ADI upper | Function | Evaluation year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JECFA | WAX-FREE BLEACHED SHELLAC | - | - | no_data | - | - | 1992 |
| JECFA | BLEACHED SHELLAC | - | - | no_data | - | - | 1992 |
| JECFA | SHELLAC, BLEACHED | - | - | NOT SPECIFIED | - | GLAZING_AGENT | 1992 |
SOURCE
ingredients
ghs classifications
Cross-Reference to Cosmetics / Chemicals / Pharma
Same-CAS public rows from adjacent Roots verticals where available.
SOURCE
Cross-vertical comparison
ingredients | ghs classifications
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
This substance has different regulatory treatment across food, cosmetics, and industrial use.
SOURCE
FAQPage JSON-LD
public food renderer rows
Frequently Asked Questions
Food-use, safety, ADI, and cross-vertical answers mirrored into FAQPage JSON-LD.
What is Shellac used for in food?
Shellac appears in food-use rows as: Surface treatment; Glazing agent; Glazing agent.
Is Shellac / E904 safe?
This page does not assign a standalone safety verdict; it renders public regulatory evidence. ADI/reference value: ADI 0.4 mg/kg bw. EU status evidence: PUBLISHED. US/FDA evidence: GRAS.
What is the ADI for Shellac?
Shellac has this ADI/reference value in the food-safety tables: ADI 0.4 mg/kg bw. Source: JECFA.
Is Shellac also used in cosmetics?
Shellac has a same-CAS cosmetics cross-reference: Shellac, EU status permitted.