Is Yellow 5 (tartrazine) safe? Where it's allowed and what it's in
Where Yellow 5 is allowed
United States
PermittedPermitted for coloring foods (including dietary supplements) generally, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice, under 21 CFR 74.705, which also requires foods containing it, including butter, cheese and ice cream, to name 'FD&C Yellow No. 5' in the ingredient list. It is on the FDA's voluntary phase-out list (announced April 2025 with an end-of-2026 goal; the FDA's tracking page, current as of 15 September 2026, now says the end of 2027), and the regulation remains in force. [1, 2, 3, 12]
Canada
Permitted with conditionsPermitted as 'tartrazine' on Health Canada's List of Permitted Food Colours (item T.1). In unstandardized foods the limit is 300 ppm, alone or combined with certain other synthetic colours, and other foods have their own limits. Food colours must be named on the ingredient list, for example 'tartrazine'. [4, 5]
European Union
Permitted with conditionsAuthorised as E102 for listed food categories within maximum levels. Foods containing it must carry the wording 'name or E number of the colour(s): may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children' (Annex V, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008), with exceptions such as drinks over 1.2% alcohol. [6]
What is Yellow 5?
Yellow 5 is a man-made yellow dye. Its chemical name is tartrazine, and in the US the certified version is FD&C Yellow No. 5. The FDA says certifiable color additives are human-made and come primarily from petroleum and coal sources, and each batch must be tested and certified before use.
Why it's used, and where you'll find it
Yellow 5 gives foods and drinks a yellow shade and can be blended with other dyes to make other colors. Its job is appearance; HHS and the FDA describe these petroleum-based dyes as offering no nutritional benefit.
What the research and regulators say
Itching, hives and intolerance reactions
The FDA says Yellow 5 may cause itching and hives in some people. In 2009 EFSA concluded that tartrazine may bring about intolerance reactions, meaning non-immune reactions such as skin irritation, in a small part of the population. Separately, US drug rules require orally taken and certain other drugs to declare Yellow 5 (tartrazine) on the label, and prescription drug labeling to carry a precaution about allergic-type reactions in some susceptible people. [7, 9, 15]
What safety committees say about intake
In 2016 the international expert committee on food additives (JECFA) raised tartrazine's acceptable daily intake from 0 to 7.5 mg to 0 to 10 mg per kg of body weight, based on a rat study, and concluded that exposure for the general population, including children, does not present a health concern. EFSA's 2009 review found no need to change the existing limit. [7, 8]
Hyperactivity in children
Tartrazine is one of six colours the EU reviewed after the 2007 Southampton study, in which children given certain colour-and-sodium-benzoate mixtures scored higher on a hyperactivity measure. It tested mixtures, not tartrazine alone, and in 2009 EFSA said the available data, including that study, did not substantiate a causal link between individual colours and behavioural effects. The FDA says some evidence suggests certain children may be sensitive. A 2012 meta-analysis estimated that about 8% of children with ADHD may have symptoms related to synthetic food colors, but its authors said the effects were susceptible to publication bias or came from small samples, and were not reliable in studies limited to FDA-approved colors. [7, 9, 10, 11]
Who might choose to avoid it
People who notice hives or itching after eating yellow-dyed foods may choose to avoid Yellow 5, and some parents limit it because of the behavior question above.
How to spot it on a label
US labels say 'Yellow 5' or 'FD&C Yellow No. 5' (the aluminum form is 'Yellow 5 Lake'). In Canada it is 'tartrazine'. In the EU it is 'tartrazine' or 'E102' and comes with the child-attention warning. On cosmetics it may appear as CI 19140.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Yellow 5 banned in Canada?
No. Tartrazine is on Health Canada's List of Permitted Food Colours (item T.1), with maximum levels in many foods, such as 300 ppm in unstandardized foods.
Is Yellow 5 banned in Europe?
No. The EU authorises it as E102 within set limits, and foods containing it must carry a warning that it 'may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.'
Is Yellow 5 bad for you?
JECFA concluded in 2016 that typical exposure does not present a health concern, with an intake limit of 0 to 10 mg per kg of body weight per day. The documented issue is itching and hives in some people, and the behavior question in children remains debated: the EU requires a warning, while EFSA and the FDA say a causal link has not been established.
Is Yellow 5 as bad as Red 40?
Regulators treat them alike in several ways: both are certified dyes, both are on the EU warning list, and both are in the FDA phase-out plan. JECFA's intake limits differ (0 to 10 mg per kg for tartrazine, 0 to 7 for Allura Red), and for Yellow 5 the FDA and EFSA specifically note skin or intolerance reactions. The sources reviewed do not rank one as worse.
Is Yellow 5 safe in skin care and makeup?
The FDA lists Yellow 5 for coloring cosmetics generally, including products used around the eyes, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. Anyone who reacts to it in food may want to check cosmetic labels for 'Yellow 5' or 'CI 19140'.
What is Yellow 5 made of?
It is a synthetic dye, not a plant or animal extract; the FDA says certifiable color additives are human-made and come primarily from petroleum and coal sources. Tartrazine, FD&C Yellow No. 5, E102 and CI 19140 are the same color.
Related ingredients
Sources
- U.S. FDA — Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum Based Food Dyes (accessed 2026-09-19)
- U.S. FDA / HHS — HHS, FDA to Phase Out Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes in Nation's Food Supply (accessed 2026-09-19)
- eCFR (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations) — 21 CFR 74.705 - FD&C Yellow No. 5 (accessed 2026-09-19)
- Health Canada — 3. List of Permitted Food Colours (Lists of Permitted Food Additives) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Food additives (labelling requirements for industry) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Consolidated text: Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives (version of 18.08.2026) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- EFSA — EFSA updates safety advice on six food colours (accessed 2026-09-19)
- WHO / FAO JECFA — Tartrazine (JECFA food additives database) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- U.S. FDA — How Safe are Color Additives? (accessed 2026-09-19)
- PubMed / The Lancet — Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial (accessed 2026-09-19)
- PubMed / J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry — Meta-analysis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, restriction diet, and synthetic food color additives (accessed 2026-09-19)
- eCFR (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations) — 21 CFR 101.22 - Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives (accessed 2026-09-19)
- eCFR (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations) — 21 CFR 74.2705 - FD&C Yellow No. 5 (cosmetics) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- U.S. FDA — Regulatory Status of Color Additives (entry: FD&C Yellow No. 5) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- eCFR (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations) — 21 CFR 74.1705 - FD&C Yellow No. 5 (drugs) (accessed 2026-09-19)
This page summarizes what regulators and published research say, as of the review date above. Rules and evidence change; check the linked sources for the latest. It is general information, not medical advice — talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health.