Polyvinyl alcohol

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer produced by the hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate. In food it is approved in the EU specifically for use as a film-forming coating material on the surface of food supplement tablets and capsules. PVA forms transparent, flexible, and odourless films that provide a smooth, easy-to-swallow surface coating while protecting the tablet contents from moisture and physical damage. Its film-forming properties are also utilised in food packaging materials and edible film applications in some markets.

JECFA evaluated polyvinyl alcohol in 2001 and classified the ADI as "not specified" based on evidence of very low absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. The high-molecular-weight polymer is poorly absorbed, and the small fraction that may be absorbed is excreted without accumulation or metabolic transformation to toxic products. Long-term animal studies did not reveal any adverse effects at dietary levels far exceeding anticipated human exposure from tablet coatings.

Polyvinyl alcohol is approved in the EU as E1203 with a highly restricted scope of use: film coatings on food supplements only. This reflects a conservative approach to synthetic polymer food additives and limits consumer exposure to the specific case of vitamin and supplement consumption. For the vast majority of food categories, consumers will not encounter PVA as a direct food ingredient. The pharmaceutical industry has a much longer history of using PVA in drug tablet coatings, providing additional reassurance about its safety profile in this narrow application. No significant health concerns have been identified at exposure levels from supplement coatings.