[8] Sodium benzoate is also allowed as an animal food additive at up to 0.1%, per the Association of American Feed Control Officials.

[10] In the 19th century, sodium benzoate as a food ingredient was investigated by Harvey W. Wiley with his 'Poison Squad' as part of the US Department of Agriculture.

If the intracellular pH falls to 5 or lower, the anaerobic fermentation of glucose through phosphofructokinase decreases sharply,[23] which inhibits the growth and survival of microorganisms that cause food spoilage.

In the United States, sodium benzoate is designated as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration.

[24] The International Programme on Chemical Safety found no adverse effects in humans at doses of 647–825 mg/kg of body weight per day.

[27] The human body rapidly clears sodium benzoate by combining it with glycine to form hippuric acid which is then excreted.

Research published, including in 2007 for the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) suggests that certain artificial colors, when paired with sodium benzoate, may be linked to hyperactive behavior and other ADHD symptoms.

[32][33][34] The Food Standards Agency concluded that the observed increases in hyperactive behavior, if real, were more likely to be linked to the artificial colors than to sodium benzoate.

[34] The report's author, Jim Stevenson from Southampton University, said: "The results suggest that consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and sodium benzoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behaviour in children.