Sulphite Ammonia Caramel

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Sulphite Ammonia Caramel (E150d) is a dark reddish-brown to black food colouring produced by controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates in the presence of both sulphite and ammonium compounds. It is the most widely used class of caramel colour, found in cola beverages, beers, sauces, soups, seasonings, and confectionery to impart characteristic brown hues.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

EFSA established a group Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 300 mg/kg body weight/day for all four caramel colours combined (2011), with exposure estimates for E150d falling below this ADI in revised 2012 assessments for most populations. The manufacturing byproduct 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) is present in E150d and is under ongoing FDA safety review, though both EFSA and the German BfR consider current maximum levels in food to be non-concerning. High consumers, particularly children, were flagged in EFSA's 2011 opinion as potentially exceeding the ADI at maximum permitted industry use levels, warranting caution.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Permitted as food colour 150d under FSANZ Food Standards Code Standard 1.3.1. Conditions of use follow JECFA specifications. No numerical ADI set nationally; defers to JECFA assessments.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Approved under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. Group ADI of 300 mg/kg bw/day covers all four caramel colour classes (E150a–d) combined. Purity criteria including maximum 4-MEI levels defined in Commission Directive 2008/128/EC. EFSA 2012 refined exposure assessment confirmed most population groups are below the ADI. Authorised in a wide range of food categories including non-alcoholic drinks, confectionery, soups, seasonings, and alcoholic beverages.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Permitted as a food colour (INS 150d) under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Conditions of use and maximum permitted levels vary by food category as specified in the FSSAI Compendium of Food Additive Regulations.source
MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) (Japan)	Approved	Caramel colours including Class IV are permitted food additives in Japan under the Food Sanitation Act. Specification and use conditions are governed by the Standards for Food Additives (Japan). Use levels are limited to amount necessary to achieve technical effect.

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Children — EFSA's 2011 opinion specifically flagged that children who are high consumers of foods containing E150d could exceed the established group ADI of 300 mg/kg bw/day if the colour is used at maximum reported industry levels.

Sulfite Sensitivity — E150d is manufactured using sulphite compounds; residual sulphur dioxide (SO2) may be present as a byproduct per EFSA specifications, posing a potential risk to individuals with sulphite sensitivity or asthma triggered by sulphites.

Infants — Infants and toddlers have lower body weights, leading to proportionally higher per-kg exposure; EFSA noted that toddler exposure to certain caramel colours could approach or exceed ADI levels at maximum use, warranting precaution.

Pregnancy — FDA's 2020 multi-generation reproductive study on 4-MEI (a byproduct of E150d) showed reproductive and developmental effects in rats at high doses; while doses far exceeded human exposure, precautionary limitation during pregnancy is prudent until the FDA review is complete.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Questions & Answers About 4-MEI, 2020. fda.gov
2PubMed. Food Safety and Nutraceutical Potential of Caramel Colour Class IV Using In Vivo and In Vitro Assays, 2019. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Caramel color safety - An update, 2017. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. Genotoxicity assessment of 4-methylimidazole: regulatory perspectives, 2016. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5EFSA. Refined exposure assessment for caramel colours (E 150a, c, d), 2012. efsa.europa.eu
6EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of caramel colours (E 150 a, b, c, d) as food additives, 2011. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched6 citations