Ponceau 4R
E124
E124, INS 124, Ponceau 4R, cochineal red A, brilliant scarlet 4R
What it is
Ponceau 4R (E124 / INS 124), also called Cochineal Red A, is a synthetic red food colour.
Why BOTIA flags it
Ponceau 4R is a synthetic red colour that the gut breaks down into other substances, which are also considered in its safety assessment. In the EU, foods containing it must carry a warning that it may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children — a warning that comes from studies using mixtures of several colours with sodium benzoate, not Ponceau 4R on its own. Ponceau 4R is not authorised for use in food in the United States. JECFA set an ADI of 0–4 mg/kg body weight and concluded that dietary exposure does not present a health concern.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect E124, INS 124, Ponceau 4R, Cochineal Red A and its other declared names in the ingredient list.
- Explain the EU activity-and-attention warning, its Southampton-study origin, the fact that mixtures rather than Ponceau 4R alone were tested, and its different status in the United States.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine how much Ponceau 4R is present in a product from the ingredient list.
- Predict whether a particular child will show an effect or treat the Southampton mixture study as proof of an effect caused by Ponceau 4R alone.