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Table of food additive permissions in the US and Europe

(December 2012)

The table below provides information on the most often cited examples of additives banned in the United States or Europe.

All the food additives listed in the tables below have been allocated a codex Alimentarius food additive name and number (INS stands for International Numbering System) as listed in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

In cases where manufacturers have never sought permission to use an additive this is noted as “no permission sought”.

Colours

INS Number Name (Food Standards Code) US name US permission1 EU permission2
102 Tartrazine FD+C Yellow No 5 CFR §74.705 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
104 Quinoline yellow FCF D+C Yellow No 10 X food Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
110 Sunset yellow FD+C Yellow No 6 CFR §74.706 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
122 Azorubine/Carmoisine   No permission sought Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
123 Amaranth FD+C Red No 2

X, Banned CFR §81.10, §81.30

(see earlier discussion and explanation)

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
124 Ponceau 4R   No permission sought Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
127 Erythrosine FD+C Red No 3 CFR §74.303 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
129 Allura red AC FD+C Red No 40 CFR §74.340 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
132 Indigotine FD+C Blue No 2 CFR §74.102 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
133 Brilliant blue FCF FD+C Blue No 1 CFR §74.101 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
142 Green S   No permission sought Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
151 Brilliant black BN   No permission sought Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
153 Vegetable carbon Carbon black

X, Banned CFR §81.10

(see earlier discussion and explanation)

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
155 Brown HT   No permission sought Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008

Other food additives

INS Number Name (Food Standards Code) US name US permission1 EU permission2
320 Butylated hydroxyanisole Butylated hydroxyanisole CFR §172.110 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008
342 Ammonium phosphates

Ammonium phosphate, monobasic

Ammonium phosphate, dibasic

GRAS (generally recognised as safe),

§184.1141a

§184.1141b

No permission sought
349 Ammonium malate     No permission sought
952 Cyclamate or calcium cyclamate or sodium cyclamate Cyclamate and its derivatives

X, Banned §189.135

(see earlier discussion and explanation)

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008

1. Colours and food additive permissions have been checked against the requirements of the US code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21 - Food and Drugs which is written, amended and enforced by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). The individual standards from the CFR relevant to the food additive is provided; § stands for section of the CFR.

2. The European permissions have been checked against the European food additive legislation - i.e. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives. The legislation lists the permitted food additives as well as their conditions of use.

Page last updated 11 April 2024