Tartrazine
E102
E102, tartrazine, FD&C Yellow No. 5, Yellow 5, CI 19140, CI Food Yellow 4, Acid Yellow 23, Food Yellow 4
What it is
A synthetic yellow azo colour used to add or restore colour in foods and known in the United States as FD&C Yellow No. 5.
Why BOTIA flags it
Tartrazine is a yellow colour that the gut breaks down into other substances. In a small group of people it can cause intolerance reactions — which is why in the United States it must always be declared by name rather than simply as “colour”. In the EU, foods containing it must also carry a warning that it may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. The label does not tell you how much it contains.
BOTIA CAN
- Identify E102, tartrazine, FD&C Yellow No. 5 or common label synonyms.
- Trigger the E-number information layer when tartrazine is declared.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine the concentration used unless it is declared or supplied by the manufacturer.
- Predict individual sensitivity or conclude that the ingredient causes a health effect in a specific person.