|
october 2010
Food: mandatory labeling for azo dyes
Many foods, especially sweets and beverages, contain azo dyes. Many cosmetic products also contain azo dyes.
- Azo dyes are suspected of causing allergies and pseudo-allergies and of aggravating attention deficit and hyperactivity in children. Since 20 July 2010, labeling of such dyes has therefore been mandatory, at least for some of these substances. Mandatory labeling applies to:
- E 102 tartrazine (CI 19140)
Colors food lemon-yellow.
- E 104 quinoline yellow (CI 47005)
Generates various yellow hues and produces a green colour when mixed with blue.
- E 110 yellow orange (CI 15985)
- E 122 azorubine (CI 14720)
Colors food red.
- E 124 cochineal red (CI 16255)
- E 129 allura red (CI 16035)
From 20 July 2010 onwards, food containing these dyes must be labeled
with the text “may affect the activity and attention of children” as a precaution.
- Azo pigments are synthetically produced, have intensive hues and are toxicologically problematic. They can be absorbed by the skin, cause liver damage and break down to produce aniline. The aniline formation is just as critical as the formation of nitrosamines. This implies that some azo dyes are suspected of causing cancer. It has been proven that they can cause allergies, particularly in people who are hypersensitive to aspirin (acetyl-salicylic acid).
- As early as the beginning of 2008, the German federal office for risk assessment recommended that use of the dye CI 18050 in cosmetic products be stopped. Its use in foods has been prohibited after a new evaluation by the European Office for Food Safety (EFSA). The results of the investigation showed that the red azo dye is converted to aniline in the body.
|
