Food manufacturers and own label retailers must ensure that food dyes and colorants in products meet strict legal limits for their destination markets. Recent headlines recommending further safety tests for six common food dyes highlight the close links between consumer safety and the consumption of food colorants.
Following the release of new scientific data, food safety experts at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed six chemically related colors and have recommended that new tests be carried out to address uncertainties related to possible genotoxicity (the ability of a substance to damage DNA) of Allura Red AC.
The six 'sulphonated mono azo dyes', also known as the 'Southampton Six' are:
• Allura Red AC (E129)
• Amaranth (E123)
• Ponceau 4R (E124)
• Sunset Yellow FCF (E110)
• Tartrazine (E102)
• Azorubine/Carmoisine (E122)
EFSA's report, and the work of the Panel of Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS Panel), does not recommend any revision to the existing acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels for these food dyes. However, their caution reinforces the need for industry to conduct timely and effective programs of chemical and food colorant testing. This will ensure that ADIs are not breached and consumers are protected.
