Which foods contain caramel colour?

It is the most used food colour in the world by volume: cola and other brown soft drinks, soy and dark sauces, brown breads and bakery goods, biscuits, gravies, malt drinks, vinegars, and spirits such as whisky and rum. On labels it appears as caramel colour, caramel, E150a–d, or INS 150a–d.

Home › Ingredients › Caramel colour (E150a–d)

Is caramel colour (E150a–d) safe?

Q: Is caramel colour just caramelised sugar?

No. Only Class I (E150a, plain caramel) is close to kitchen caramel — sugars heated with food-grade acids or alkalis. Classes II–IV are made by reacting sugars with sulphite compounds, ammonia compounds, or both. The ammonia process (E150c and E150d) can form a byproduct called 4-MEI, which does not occur in home caramelisation at meaningful levels.

Q: Does caramel colour cause cancer?

Regulators disagree about the byproduct, not the colour itself. A 2007 US National Toxicology Program study found 4-MEI caused lung tumours in mice, and California listed 4-MEI as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 in 2011, requiring a warning above 29 micrograms per day. EFSA (2011) and the FDA reviewed the same evidence and concluded dietary exposure to 4-MEI is not a concern at typical consumption. No regulator has banned any caramel colour class in food.

Q: How do I know which class of caramel colour is in my food?

Look for the letter after 150 — for example INS 150d in most colas, or INS 150a in many baked goods. Some labels only say 'caramel colour' with no number, which makes the class impossible to tell from the pack. The classes are not interchangeable: E150a contains no 4-MEI, while E150c and E150d can.

By LabelCop · Last updated 31 July 2026 · Sources: EFSA, FDA, FSSAI, WHO/JECFA, California OEHHA

The short answer: "caramel colour" is four different additives under one name — and the label often doesn't tell you which one you're eating.

E150a (plain): closest to kitchen caramel — no 4-MEI, cleared by every regulator
E150c & E150d (ammonia-process): can contain 4-MEI — listed as a carcinogen in California (2011), yet EFSA and the FDA say dietary exposure is not a concern
No regulator bans any class — but EFSA tightened E150c's daily limit and California requires cancer warnings above 29 µg of 4-MEI per day
LabelCop: scores each class separately — E150d is a high-risk flag, E150a/b/c are medium

What is caramel colour?

The world's most used food colour by volume — the brown in colas, sauces and breads
Not one substance but four classes, defined by how they're made:

Class	Label name	Made with	Key byproduct
Class I	E150a / INS 150a — plain caramel	Heated sugars + food-grade acids or alkalis	None of concern — closest to home caramel
Class II	E150b / INS 150b — caustic sulphite caramel	Sugars + sulphite compounds	Residual sulphites (allergen concern)
Class III	E150c / INS 150c — ammonia caramel	Sugars + ammonia compounds	4-MEI and THI
Class IV	E150d / INS 150d — sulphite ammonia caramel	Sugars + both sulphite and ammonia compounds	4-MEI

The catch: many labels just say "caramel colour" with no class number — so the four are indistinguishable on the pack

Which foods contain it?

Cola and other brown soft drinks (typically E150d)
Soy sauce, dark sauces, gravies and vinegars (often E150c/d)
Brown breads, biscuits, cakes and malt drinks (often E150a/c)
Whisky, rum, brandy and some beers
Instant coffee mixes, desserts and confectionery

In India: everywhere in colas, jeera masala sodas, soy sauce, brown breads and bakery — look for INS 150 with a letter (a–d) on the label

What the regulators actually say

Regulator	Status	Reasoning
EFSA / European Union	Permitted, limits tightened 2011	EFSA's 2011 re-evaluation set a group acceptable daily intake of 300 mg per kg body weight for all four classes — but cut E150c's individual limit to 100 mg/kg over immune-system effects of its byproduct THI, and found adults and children who consume a lot of caramel-coloured food can exceed the safe limits. It judged dietary 4-MEI exposure "not of concern".
FDA (United States)	Permitted	All classes allowed as colour additives exempt from certification. After Consumer Reports found 4-MEI in colas (2014) and petitioned the FDA, the agency reviewed the data and maintains typical exposure is far below levels that caused tumours in rodent studies.
California (OEHHA / Prop 65)	4-MEI listed as carcinogen (2011)	Based on a 2007 US National Toxicology Program study showing lung tumours in mice, California requires a cancer warning on products exposing consumers to more than 29 µg of 4-MEI per day. Cola makers reformulated with lower-4-MEI caramel to avoid the warning — proof the levels can be reduced.
FSSAI (India)	Permitted in specified foods	All four classes allowed in specified categories with class- and category-specific limits under the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Sulphites above 10 mg/kg — relevant to E150b — must be declared as an allergen under the 2020 labelling rules.
WHO / JECFA	Cleared with daily limits	JECFA gave Class I its safest rating — an acceptable daily intake "not specified" — and set numeric daily limits for Classes II–IV. It has not flagged dietary 4-MEI as a risk at typical exposure.

Why do regulators disagree?

The dispute is about 4-MEI — a byproduct of the ammonia process used for E150c and E150d, not the caramel itself
The evidence: the US National Toxicology Program (2007) found 4-MEI caused lung tumours in mice at high doses
California: listed 4-MEI as a carcinogen and set a 29 µg/day warning threshold — precaution at low margins
EFSA and the FDA: read the same study as showing a threshold effect far above real-world intake — the FDA calculated you'd need over 1,000 cans of cola a day to match the rodent doses
The second-order problem: 4-MEI levels vary widely between products and countries — the same cola brand has tested differently in different markets
Both are defensible readings of the same data — we show you the disagreement instead of quietly picking a side

How LabelCop scores it

E150d (sulphite ammonia caramel) — the cola caramel — is a high-risk flag: its 4-MEI byproduct is listed as a possible carcinogen by California (2011) and levels vary widely between products
E150a, E150b and E150c are medium-risk flags — E150c for 4-MEI, E150b for residual sulphites, E150a because heavy consumers can exceed EFSA's daily limit
Rule: strictest regulator wins — and you see the flag, the reason and the sources. No black box

Frequently asked questions

Is caramel colour just caramelised sugar?

No. Only E150a (plain caramel) is close to kitchen caramel. Classes II–IV are made by reacting sugars with sulphite compounds, ammonia compounds, or both — and the ammonia process can form 4-MEI, which home caramelisation doesn't produce at meaningful levels.

Does caramel colour cause cancer?

Regulators disagree about the byproduct, not the colour. A 2007 US National Toxicology Program study found 4-MEI caused lung tumours in mice. California responded by listing 4-MEI as a carcinogen with a 29 µg/day warning threshold; EFSA and the FDA reviewed the same evidence and concluded typical dietary exposure is not a concern. No class is banned anywhere.

How do I know which class is in my food?

Look for the letter after 150 — INS 150d in most colas, INS 150a in many baked goods. Some labels only say "caramel colour" with no number, which makes the class impossible to tell from the pack.

Is caramel colour banned anywhere?

No major regulator has banned any of the four classes in food. The strictest measures are California's Prop 65 warning threshold for 4-MEI and EFSA's tightened daily limit for E150c.

How do I avoid the ammonia-process caramels?

Check labels for E150c, E150d, INS 150c or INS 150d — most common in colas, dark sauces and gravies. Or scan the label with LabelCop and each class is flagged automatically, with the regulator reasoning shown.

One name, four additives. We read the small print.

LabelCop reads any food label you photograph and tells E150a from E150d instantly — no barcode needed.

Join the early-access list

Sources

EFSA (2011): re-evaluation of caramel colours E150a–d — group ADI and E150c limit · California OEHHA: Proposition 65 listing of 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) · FDA: Questions & answers on caramel colouring and 4-MEI · WHO/JECFA: evaluations of caramel colours (Classes I–IV) · FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards regulations — permitted additives

Related ingredients: Red 40 / Allura Red (E129) · Titanium dioxide (E171) · High-fructose corn syrup

This article explains regulatory status and published scientific assessments in plain English. It is not medical advice.