Food additive · Color
Blue 2
- E-number
- E132
- CAS
- 860-22-0
A synthetic blue dye (indigotine or indigo carmine) used in candy, pet food, drinks and baked goods.
- Food additive
- Synthetic dye
- Color (added)
- Petroleum-derived dye
- Ultra-processing marker
- Expert review pending
Concern level
Strong evidence of harm at high intake, emerging evidence of harm, or a common allergen or irritant. The concern level sets how many points Blue 2 costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
-
Being phased outRegulatory
The FDA is working with industry to remove six petroleum-based dyes from US food by the end of 2027; California bans them in school meals from December 31, 2027. [1][2]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Permitted | Permitted food color (E 132) with use limits. | — | [3] |
| United States | Permitted | Listed for use in food. In April 2025 the FDA asked industry to phase petroleum-based dyes out of food; its pledge tracker targets the end of 2027. | — | [4] |
| Canada | Permitted | On Health Canada's List of Permitted Food Colours, with conditions of use. | — | [5] |
| California (US) | Restricted | Not allowed in California school meals or school-sold foods from December 31, 2027 (AB 2316). | From Dec 31, 2027 | [2] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Popular products that list Blue 2
75 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list Blue 2. The 12 most scanned:
-
Trail Mix Kirkland Signature · 57 g (2 oz) Score 19 out of 100 Bad -
Trail Mix Kirkland · 1.81 kg Score 24 out of 100 Poor -
Gummy Clusters Nerds · 8 oz Score 8 out of 100 Bad -
Peanut M&Ms Mars · 512.6 g Score 0 out of 100 Bad -
Peanut M&M's Chocolate Candies M&M's · 62.0 oz/1757.7 g Score 0 out of 100 Bad -
Skittles Skittles · 2.17 oz Score 7 out of 100 Bad -
Peanut M&M's M&M's · 3.27 oz Score 2 out of 100 Bad -
Milk Chocolate M&M's M&M's · 10.0 oz Score 0 out of 100 Bad -
FLAVOR TWISTS HONEY BBQ Flavored Corn Snack Fritos · 9¼ oz Score 17 out of 100 Bad -
Mini Chewy mixed fruit Sweetarts · 12 oz Score 5 out of 100 Bad -
Milk Chocolate M&M's · 62 oz (2 lb 14 oz) 1757.7 g Score 0 out of 100 Bad -
Peanut M&M's M&M's · 10.05 oz/284.9 g Score 0 out of 100 Bad
Diets and allergens
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (15)
- e132
- blue2
- blue 2
- blue no 2
- indigotine
- blue 2 lake
- color blue 2
- indigo carmine
- fd and c blue 2
- indigotine bleu
- fd and c blue no 2
- blue 2 aluminum lake
- fd and c blue 2 lake
- colour indigo carmine
- fd and c blue no 2 aluminum lake
Sources
-
Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum Based Food Dyes
“FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2—by the end of 2027.”
fda.gov
-
California AB 2316 (2024), Pupil nutrition: substances: prohibition
“beginning December 31, 2027, would prohibit a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school”
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
-
“E 127 Erythrosine 200 only cocktail cherries and candied cherries”
eur-lex.europa.eu
-
ecfr.gov
-
3. List of Permitted Food Colours: Indigotine (item I.1)
“If used singly, the amount not to exceed 300 ppm. If used in any combination with allura red, amaranth, brilliant blue FCF, erythrosine, fast green FCF, sunset yellow FCF or tartrazine, the total combined amount not to exceed 300 ppm”
canada.ca