E155 — Brown HT
Why it’s used
A synthetic brown azo dye used in the EU to color chocolate-flavored cakes, some dairy products, and desserts; not approved for food use in the US.
Other names
Chocolate Brown HT, C.I. Food Brown 3, C.I. 20285
Diet flags
Regulatory status
Not listed among FDA-certified or exempt color additives for food; Brown HT has never been approved for US food use. Source (2026-07-23)
Authorised EU-wide as E155 within specified food categories, but foods 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 has never authorised Brown HT for US food use. The EU permits it EU-wide, mainly in chocolate-flavored products, subject to a mandatory hyperactivity warning label — a genuine authorization gap.
Brown HT is subject to the EU's Annex V warning-label requirement introduced after the 2007 Southampton study, while the US, Australia, and several other countries have never authorised the dye.
Found in these products
None of the products in our database currently contain E155.