Food additive · Color
Caramel color
A brown coloring made by heating sugars, used in colas, sauces, gravies and baked goods. Labels rarely say which of the four classes is used; the FDA says classes III and IV are the most used by volume.
- Food additive
- Color (added)
- Ultra-processing marker
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A regulatory warning or restriction somewhere, or strong evidence of harm at typical intake. The concern level sets how many points caramel color costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Process contaminantStrong evidence
The FDA says classes III and IV, which can contain 4-MEI, are the most commonly used food color additives by volume. IARC classifies 4-MEI as Group 2B; the FDA sees no short-term risk at expected levels. [1][2][3]
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Warning label requiredRegulatory
California lists 4-MEI under Proposition 65 (cancer, 2011), so products that expose consumers above the safe-harbor level need a warning there. [4]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Permitted | Listed as a color additive exempt from certification (21 CFR 73.85). | — | [5] |
| European Union | Permitted | Permitted as E 150a–d with conditions of use. | — | [6] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 caramel color
681 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list caramel color. The 12 most scanned:
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Coca cola can cokes LG Coca-Cola · 355 g Score 17 out of 100 Bad -
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 355 mL Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Diet Coke Coca-Cola · 355 mL Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Dr Pepper Dr Pepper · 12 fl oz (355 mL) Score 19 out of 100 Bad -
Multi Grain Cheerios Cheerios · 510 g Score 20 out of 100 Poor -
Carb Balance Whole Wheat Mission · 8 tortilla wraps 12 oz (340 g) Score 38 out of 100 Poor -
Coke 20z Coke · 20 fl oz (591 mL) Score 17 out of 100 Bad -
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 20 fl oz Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Crispy Oats Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal Millville · 12 oz Score 69 out of 100 Good -
Ramen Noodle Soup Maruchan · 3 oz Score 9 out of 100 Bad -
Multi Grain Cheerios General Mills · 9 oz Score 38 out of 100 Poor -
Barbecue Sauce Sweet Baby Ray's · 18 oz Score 6 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 (22)
- e150
- colour e150
- caramel color
- color caramel
- caramel colors
- caramel colour
- colors caramel
- colour caramel
- colours caramel
- couleur caramel
- caramel colorant
- caramel coloring
- coloring caramel
- caramel colouring
- caramel ordinaire
- colouring caramel
- caramel color added
- caramel colour e150
- caramel color for color
- artificial caramel color
- color added caramel color
- colorant caramel ordinaire
Sources
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Questions & Answers About 4-MEI
“Based on current science, the FDA has no reason to believe that there are any immediate or short-term health risks presented by 4-MEI at the levels expected in food.”
fda.gov
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Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)
monographs.iarc.who.int
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Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity
“The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”
oehha.ca.gov
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“The color additive caramel is the dark-brown liquid or solid material resulting from the carefully controlled heat treatment of the following food-grade carbohydrates”
ecfr.gov
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“E 127 Erythrosine 200 only cocktail cherries and candied cherries”
eur-lex.europa.eu