Additives
Ponceau 6R (E126): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Hazardous
Colour · Azo dye
Ponceau 6R is a synthetic red azo dye formerly assigned the food-colour number E126. It is not on the EU/UK list of permitted food colours. Azo dyes of this class can trigger intolerance reactions, especially in aspirin-sensitive and asthmatic people; it now survives mainly as a histology stain.
- Category
- Colour — Azo dye
- Typically used in
- Not permitted in food; used as a biological/histology stain.
- Regulatory status
- Not authorised as a food colour in the EU/UK.
- Concerns flagged
-
Possible allergen
Sources
Where this comes from
- Amchandra et al. (2024) — Food Safety and Health Concerns of Synthetic Food Colors: An Update https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11280921/
Products
Products containing Ponceau 6R
We're building product pages that show real UK products containing Ponceau 6R, 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.