Food additive databaseAdds colorChecked 2026-09-27
Cochineal (carmine) コチニール色素
Food additiveSimilar rules abroad
- Purpose
- adds red color
- On the label
- “着色料（コチニール）” (coloring (cochineal)), “カルミン酸色素” (carminic acid color)
Flagged additives are marked when you use the Ingredient Checker (choose others).
In Japan
- A natural pigment taken from an insect, the cochineal. Used in ham, kamaboko (fish paste), drinks, confectionery, and so on.
- In 2012, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) issued a warning about acute allergic reactions (anaphylaxis).
Under stricter rules abroad
Category: Similar rules abroad
- It can also be used in the EU (E120) and the US. For people with allergies, the US FDA has since 2011 required it to be named specifically as “cochineal extract” or “carmine” (Japan also requires the substance name).
Related pages
Sources
- Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) (Japanese)
- US FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
- Consumer Affairs Agency (Japanese)
Last checked 2026-09-27. Rules change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
The categories are not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies.