E129 — Allura Red AC
Why it’s used
A synthetic dark-red azo dye widely used in candy, cereals, drinks, and snack foods to give a red color.
Other names
FD&C Red No. 40, Red 40, C.I. 16035
Diet flags
Regulatory status
Certified color additive permitted for foods generally at GMP levels under 21 CFR 74.340; must be individually declared on ingredient labels. Source (2026-07-23)
Authorised EU-wide as E129 with an ADI of 7 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; several individual EU member states have imposed further national restrictions. Source (2026-07-23)
Regulatory status by region
The FDA permits Allura Red AC for general food use with no mandatory 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 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 E129.