Vitamin A Palmitate
Vitamin A Palmitate carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 15,009 indexed US food products.
3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine
How common is Vitamin A Palmitate vs other flagged additives?
Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives - Vitamin A Palmitate highlighted.
Function
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Safety Assessment
Vitamin A Palmitate has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.
What the Data Says About Vitamin A Palmitate
Vitamin A Palmitate currently appears in 15,009 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status - currently "GRAS" - with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. Regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups like CSPI weigh cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk -- two related but distinct questions.
In food manufacturing, Vitamin A Palmitate functions as a color or coloring adjunct, nutrient supplement. That technical role explains why it recurs across many product categories, formulators select specific additives for stability, shelf life, color, or texture performance, and substitution is rarely a one-for-one swap when regulations or consumer preferences shift. Inspection and outbreak data often trace back to breakdown in the control of exactly these kinds of functional ingredients, either through contaminated batches, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling errors that trigger FDA-initiated recalls.
No specific concern flags are attached to Vitamin A Palmitate in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.
Safety Profile at a Glance
| Source | Classification | Year |
|---|---|---|
| FDA SAFFA | GRAS | 2024 |
| CSPI Chemical Cuisine | Not rated | 2024 |
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 3/5 | 2026 |
| Product footprint | 15,009 products | OpenFoodFacts |
FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.
Products Containing Vitamin A Palmitate
A sample of 16 of the 15,009 indexed products containing Vitamin A Palmitate, with each product's overall safety score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vitamin A Palmitate safe to eat? ▼
Vitamin A Palmitate has a safety score of 3/5. FDA status: GRAS. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.
What products contain Vitamin A Palmitate? ▼
Vitamin A Palmitate is found in 15,009 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.
What does Vitamin A Palmitate do in food? ▼
Vitamin A Palmitate is used as a color or coloring adjunct, nutrient supplement in food products.
Citation notes
Regulatory status from FDA SAFFA; safety ratings from CSPI Chemical Cuisine; product presence from Open Food Facts. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial.Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Ingredient figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.