Sodium aluminum phosphate
This page explains what Sodium aluminum phosphate is, where it shows up in restaurant food, and which ingredient reports connect to it.
- Concern
- Moderate Concern
- Function
- Emulsifier
- Updated
- 2026-02-16
What this is
Sodium aluminum phosphate (SALP) is a white, odorless powder used as a food additive in baked goods and processed cheese. In fast-food restaurants it appears in things like biscuits, pancakes, and cheese slices as a leavening agent (to help dough rise) or emulsifier. SALP contains aluminum and phosphate. U.S. regulators consider it safe at the low levels used in foods (it’s classified as GRAS – generally recognized as safe). However, health experts note that aluminum can accumulate in the body, so there are ongoing discussions about potential long-term effects of consuming aluminum-containing additives.
Critical Endpoints
The key endpoints experts review in safety assessments (critical endpoints). This is not a prediction of harm.
Restaurant Usage
8 linked ingredient reports
State Actions
0 current actions
No current state action is listed for this ingredient in the policy tracker.