E1208 — Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer
Why it’s used
A synthetic copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate, made by radical polymerisation and commonly called copovidone. It is used as a binding and film-forming agent in chewable solid dietary-supplement tablets, holding compressed ingredients together and giving a smooth, glossy coating.
Other names
Copovidone, Kollidon VA64, Plasdone S-630, PVP/VA copolymer, Vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer
Diet flags
Regulatory status
FDA has no food-additive or GRAS listing covering PVP/VA copolymer specifically; a related but distinct substance, plain polyvinylpyrrolidone, is separately regulated as a secondary direct food additive (clarifying agent) under 21 CFR 173.55, but that listing does not extend to the vinyl-acetate copolymer. Source (2026-07-24)
Authorised in the EU only as a binding/coating agent in solid food supplements consumed as chewable tablets, added to Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 following a favourable 2010 EFSA safety opinion. Source (2026-07-24)
Regulatory status by region
The FDA regulation that does exist for this polymer family, 21 CFR 173.55, covers only unmodified polyvinylpyrrolidone as a wine/vinegar/beer clarifying agent and does not name the PVP/VA copolymer, so PVP/VA has no corresponding US food-additive authorisation and is used domestically as a pharmaceutical/supplement excipient instead. The EU, following a 2010 EFSA safety opinion, authorised it narrowly for solid food supplements taken as chewable tablets via an amendment to Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
EFSA issued a favourable safety opinion on PVP/VA copolymer in 2010, which the Commission used to add a specific Annex II entry to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 authorising it as a binding/coating agent solely in solid food supplements formulated as chewable tablets. That authorisation is narrower and more recent than FDA's neighbouring listing for plain, unmodified polyvinylpyrrolidone under 21 CFR 173.55, which covers a different use (wine/vinegar/beer clarification) and a chemically distinct substance. So while the US has never evaluated the vinyl-acetate copolymer for food use at all, the EU has — just only for chewable-tablet supplement binding, not as a general food additive.
Found in these products
None of the products in our database currently contain E1208.