E102 — Tartrazine
Also labelled: Tartrazin · FD&C Yellow 5 · CI 19140
Tartrazine is one of only six colours in Europe that must carry a printed warning about children's attention and behaviour. Frela rates it high because that warning is a regulatory conclusion, not a campaign group's opinion.
At a glance
- E number
- E102
- Class
- Colour (azo dye)
- Origin
- Synthetic azo dye
- EU status
- Authorised, but carries a mandatory warning label
- Acceptable daily intake
- 7.5 mg per kg of body weight per day (EFSA, 2009)
- Typically found in
- Soft drinks, sweets, custard powder, mustard, packet desserts, some medicines
What it actually is
Tartrazine is a synthetic azo dye producing a strong lemon-yellow. Like other azo colours it is defined by a nitrogen–nitrogen double bond, and it is cheap, stable in acid, and resistant to heat and light — which is why it survived so long in soft drinks and confectionery.
It has no function beyond appearance.
The warning label, and where it came from
In 2007 a study at the University of Southampton tested mixtures of six colours plus sodium benzoate on children in the general population, and reported increased hyperactive behaviour. The findings were debated — effect sizes were modest and the mixtures were tested rather than individual dyes — but the EU acted on them.
Since 2010, foods containing tartrazine and five other colours must carry the statement: 'may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. This is required by Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. The other five are quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124) and allura red (E129).
The practical consequence is visible on shelves: many European manufacturers reformulated to natural colours rather than print the warning, which is why tartrazine is now much less common in the EU than in markets without the requirement.
Intolerance reactions
Separately from the attention question, a small number of people report intolerance reactions to tartrazine — urticaria and, rarely, asthma exacerbation. Controlled challenge studies suggest the true prevalence is low and considerably below the number of people who believe they are affected, but it is well enough documented to be recognised clinically.
EFSA re-evaluated tartrazine in 2009 and set an ADI of 7.5 mg per kg of body weight, concluding that available evidence did not support a link to the attention effects at that intake — a conclusion that sits alongside, rather than replaces, the labelling requirement.
How Frela scores it
Frela rates E102 high risk. The reasoning is procedural rather than toxicological: this is a substance that European law requires to be sold with a printed behavioural warning, and Frela treats a mandatory warning as strong signal.
The same rating applies to the other five colours in the Southampton group, so a product coloured with any of them will hit the same floor on the additive component.
Common questions
Does tartrazine cause hyperactivity?
The evidence is contested. A 2007 study prompted the EU to require a warning label, while EFSA's 2009 re-evaluation did not find the evidence sufficient to change the intake limit. Both positions currently coexist in European regulation, which is unusual and worth knowing.
Which other colours carry the same warning?
E104 quinoline yellow, E110 sunset yellow, E122 carmoisine, E124 ponceau 4R and E129 allura red. Frela rates all six the same way.
Why do I see it more in imported sweets?
Because the warning requirement is an EU rule. Manufacturers selling into markets without it have less incentive to reformulate, so imported confectionery is where European shoppers most often meet it.
Sources
- EFSA — Scientific opinion on the re-evaluation of tartrazine (E102) (2009)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — Annex V
Last reviewed:
