Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Food Red No.3 (Erythrosine) and its Aluminum Lake 食用赤色3号（別名エリスロシン）及びそのアルミニウムレーキ

Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E127)EFSA ADI 0.1mg以下 per kg body weight per day

Purpose: color
On the label: “着色料（赤3）” (coloring (Red 3)), “着色料（赤色3号）” (coloring (Red No. 3)), “赤色3号” (Red No. 3), “食用赤色3号” (Food Red No. 3), “着色料（エリスロシン）” (coloring (erythrosine))
Name in the List of Designated Additives: 食用赤色3号（別名エリスロシン）及びそのアルミニウムレーキ (No. 217)

In Japan

A tar-based dye, a designated additive used to color food, also called erythrosine. Under the standards for use, it may not be used in 18 kinds of food, including castella sponge cake (kasutera), soy sauce, miso, noodles, meat, fresh fish and shellfish, and vegetables (there is no upper limit on the amount for other foods). The CAA's Q&A explains that it is used in confectionery, pickles, kamaboko, and the like.
Because it is a coloring, the purpose name must be written alongside. If the name contains the character “色”, as in “赤色3号” (Red No. 3), the word “着色料” (coloring) can be omitted, but with the short name “赤3” (Red 3) it is written “着色料（赤3）” (coloring (Red 3)) (Food Labeling Standards). The aluminum lake can also be written under names such as “赤色3号”, “赤3”, and “エリスロシン” (erythrosine).
On January 15, 2025, the US FDA announced a decision to revoke authorization for its use in food under the Delaney Clause, because carcinogenicity had been reported in studies in male rats (transition period until January 15, 2027). The FDA also explained that the mechanism of this cancer in rats is specific to rats and does not occur in humans. The CAA says it plans to consider the matter in light of the content of the US decision and other factors (CAA, “食用赤色3号に関するQ&A” (Q&A on Food Red No. 3)).

Japan's standards for use

Foods in which it may not be used: castella sponge cake (kasutera), roasted soybean flour (kinako), pickled fish, pickled whale meat, kelp (kombu), soy sauce, meat, pickled meat, sponge cake
Foods in which it may not be used (continued): fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori (laver), marmalade, legumes, miso, noodles (including wonton), vegetables, wakame
For foods other than the above, no upper limit on the amount used is set
The same standards apply to the aluminum lake

This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.

In the EU

It is on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E127.
Its name in the EU is Erythrosine (E127).
In the EU, the only foods in which it may be used are processed cherry products: cocktail and candied cherries (up to 200 mg/kg) and Bigarreaux cherries in syrup and for cocktails (up to 150 mg/kg) (Annex II, Part E).
In the EU, E127 may not be sold directly to consumers (Annex II, Part A).
In the EU, aluminum lakes may be used only in the food categories for which Annex II, Part E states a “limit on aluminum derived from the lake” (since August 2014; Annex II, Part A). In Japan, lakes can be used under the same standards for use as the dye.
In its 2011 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 0.1mg以下 per kg of body weight per day (EFSA ANS).

When it is labeled under a shared name

Food Red No.3 (Erythrosine) and its Aluminum Lake may be declared on the label in the same way as “合成着色料（タール色素）”. See Synthetic food colors (coal-tar dyes) for details.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.

Other substances used as color

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