Additives
Ponceau 4R (E124): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Hazardous
Colour · Azo dye
Synthetic red azo dye. One of the "Southampton Six" linked to hyperactivity in children. EU warning label required. Banned in the USA, Canada, Norway, and Finland.
- Category
- Colour — Azo dye
- Typically used in
- Tinned strawberries, fruit cocktail, jelly, sweets, dessert toppings
- Regulatory status
- EU warning label required. Banned USA/Canada/Norway.
- Also listed as
- Cochineal Red A
- Concerns flagged
-
Possible allergenHyperactivity link
Sources
Where this comes from
- EFSA (2009) — Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of Ponceau 4R -E 124- as a food additive http://dx.doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2009.1328
- McCann et al. (2007) — Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children: randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial (Southampton study) https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61306-3
Products
Products containing Ponceau 4R
We're building product pages that show real UK products containing Ponceau 4R, using Open Food Facts data. They'll appear here soon — in the meantime, scan any barcode with the Scrannr app to check for it instantly.