(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.
