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Food additive · Color

Ammonia caramel

E-number
E150c

Caramel color class III, made with ammonia compounds; used in beer, soy sauce and gravies.

  • Food additive
  • Color (added)
  • Ultra-processing marker
  • Expert review pending
High concern Level 3 of 4 How concern levels work

A regulatory warning or restriction somewhere, or strong evidence of harm at typical intake. The concern level sets how many points ammonia caramel costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Process contaminantStrong evidence

    Caramel colors made with ammonia (classes III and IV) can contain 4-MEI. IARC classifies 4-MEI as Group 2B; the FDA says it has no reason to believe 4-MEI at expected levels poses short-term risks and is reviewing manufacturing controls. [1][2][3][4]

  • 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. [5]

Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.

Rules around the world

WhereStatusDetailsDateSource
European Union Permitted Permitted (E 150c). — [6]
United States Permitted Permitted as caramel (21 CFR 73.85). — [7]

“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 ammonia caramel

2 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list ammonia caramel.

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 (11)
  • e150c
  • colour e150c
  • caramel e150c
  • ammonia caramel
  • caramel color iii
  • caramel colour e150c
  • colour caramel e150c
  • color ammonia caramel
  • colour ammonia caramel
  • caramel color class iii
  • colours ammonia caramel

Sources

  1. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  2. Questions & Answers About 4-MEI

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Mar 27, 2020 · Regulator

    “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

  3. List of Select Chemicals in the Food Supply Under FDA Review

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Jul 29, 2026 · Regulator

    “The table below includes select food ingredients (including food and color additives), food contact substances, and contaminants under FDA review as of May 12, 2026 .”

    fda.gov

  4. Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: A Quantitative Risk Assessment

    PLOS ONE · Feb 18, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  5. Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity

    California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · Jul 31, 2026 · Law

    “The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”

    oehha.ca.gov

  6. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 of 11 November 2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 by establishing a Union list of food additives

    European Union (Official Journal) · Nov 11, 2011 · Law

    “E 127 Erythrosine 200 only cocktail cherries and candied cherries”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

  7. 21 CFR 73.85 Caramel

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Dec 29, 2016 · Law

    “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