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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sodium benzoate is a preservative commonly used in fruit pies, jams, beverages, salads, relishes, and sauerkraut -- foods that have an acidic\u00A0pH.\u00A0Chemical preservatives, such as sodium benzoate are frequently used in processed foods to prevent the growth\u00A0of bacteria, yeast or other nasty microorganisms that could spoil your food.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When sodium benzoate is combined\u00A0with water, benzoic acid is produced. Benzoic acid is the active form of the preservative - the form that protects foods. Benzoic acid is also found naturally in some fruits such as\u00A0cranberries, plums, and\u00A0apples.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The United States Food and Drug Administration has studied sodium benzoate extensively and found that it is safe when consumed in amounts found in normal diets. According to the FDA, \u00A0It would take approximately 180 times the amount of sodium benzoate present in a typical diet before any problems might occur and 90 times the amount of sodium benzoate that might be found in a diet in which all the foods you eat contain the largest amounts of sodium benzoate currently in use. Yes, that sounds complicated, but it means the preservative is safe.\u00A0According to the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;FDA Select Committee on Generally Regarded as Safe Substance&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;s:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There is no evidence in the available information to show that benzoic acid and sodium benzoate as food ingredients constitute a hazard to the general public when used at levels that are now current or that might reasonably be expected in future.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;But What About Benzenes?&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The names may sound similar, but benzene is NOT the same as sodium benzoate or benzoic acid, so if you&amp;amp;#39;re eating something that has sodium benzoate added to it, you&amp;amp;#39;re not being exposed to benzene. It&amp;amp;#39;s important to understand that. There is a tie between benzoic acid and benzene that resulted in\u00A0a bit of a soft drink scare in the early 2000s.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Back then, some soft drink manufacturers used a combination of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in their formulas.\u00A0These two compounds are safe under normal conditions, but with excessive heat exposure, they can interact to form\u00A0benzene. \u00A0Exposure to large amounts of benzene is known to cause cancer.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Since the potential for benzene formation existed, the FDA tested over 200 soft drinks back in 2005. Most contained no benzene at all or had less than\u00A0five parts per billion, which is considered safe for humans.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;I think it&amp;amp;#39;s important to note that\u00A0exposure is usually from coal burning and gasoline emissions, not from foods or beverages --even if sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid convert to benzene, the levels found in a bottle of soda were minuscule, so consumers weren&amp;amp;#39;t in danger. However, the soft drink manufacturers reformulated their products, and benzene formation is no longer an issue.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;A Source of Sodium?&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sodium benzoate is one of the added ingredients that can contribute to your sodium consumption - something to consider if you need to watch your sodium intake. Check the Nutrition Facts labels to find out how much sodium is in a serving of the food you&amp;amp;#39;re consuming.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Sources: &amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. &amp;amp;#34;Sodium Benzoate.&amp;amp;#34; Accessed February 15, 2016. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsneng/neng1536.html&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsneng/neng1536.html&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Nair B. &amp;amp;#34;Final report on the safety assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, and Sodium Benzoate.&amp;amp;#34; Int J Toxicol. 2001;20 Suppl 3:23-50. Accessed February 15, 2016. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://ijt.sagepub.com/content/20/3_suppl/23.long&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://ijt.sagepub.com/content/20/3_suppl/23.long&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;The United States Food and Drug Administration. &amp;amp;#34;Questions and Answers on the Occurrence of Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages.&amp;amp;#34; Accessed February 15, 2016. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ChemicalContaminants/ucm055131.htm&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ChemicalContaminants/ucm055131.htm&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;The United States Food and Drug Administration. &amp;amp;#34;Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Opinion: Sodium Benzoate.&amp;amp;#34; Accessed February 15, 2016. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/SCOGS/ucm260074.htm&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/SCOGS/ucm260074.htm&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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