E110 — Sunset Yellow FCF
Why it’s used
A synthetic orange-yellow azo dye used in candy, soft drinks, snack foods, and sauces to give a bright orange color.
Other names
FD&C Yellow No. 6, Yellow 6, C.I. 15985
Diet flags
Regulatory status
Certified color additive permitted for foods generally at GMP levels under 21 CFR 74.706, with an FDA-reviewed ADI of 3.75 mg/kg bw/day; no mandatory hyperactivity warning is required. Source (2026-07-23)
Authorised EU-wide as E110 with an ADI of 4 mg/kg bw/day, but any food containing it must carry the label warning that it may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. Source (2026-07-23)
Regulatory status by region
The FDA permits sunset yellow FCF for general food use with individual ingredient labeling but no warning statement. The EU permits the same dye but mandates a child-hyperactivity warning label following the 2007 Southampton study — a difference in permitted-use conditions rather than in core approval status.
Following the Southampton study, the EU added a mandatory warning-label requirement for sunset yellow FCF under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex V, in force since July 2010. The FDA reviewed the same study and did not adopt an equivalent US warning requirement.
Found in these products
None of the products in our database currently contain E110.