Food additive databaseAdds colorChecked 2026-09-27
Gardenia color クチナシ色素
Food additiveNot permitted in the EUUsed in 1 product on this site
- Purpose
- adds yellow, blue, and red color
- On the label
- “クチナシ色素” (gardenia color), “クチナシ黄色素” (gardenia yellow color), “着色料（クチナシ）” (coloring (gardenia))
Flagged additives are marked when you use the Ingredient Checker (choose others).
In Japan
- An existing food additive made from gardenia fruit. There are three kinds: yellow, blue, and red.
- All three can be written simply as “クチナシ色素” (gardenia color) or “クチナシ” (gardenia), so the label does not tell you which one was used.
- A coloring is normally written with its purpose name, as in “着色料（○○）” (coloring (○○)). But when the name already contains the character for “color” (色), as in “クチナシ色素” (gardenia color), “着色料” (coloring) may be omitted (Food Labeling Standards, Article 3).
- On this site, the product “太鼓判 中華そば” (Taikoban Chukasoba, Chinese-style noodles) is labeled “クチナシ色素” (gardenia color).
Under stricter rules abroad
Category: Not permitted in the EU
- It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) and has no E number. It is not permitted as a coloring in the EU.
- In July 2025, the US FDA approved “gardenia (genipin) blue”, a blue coloring made from gardenia fruit, for use only in sports drinks, fruit drinks, candy, and similar foods (effective August 29, 2025).
Substances labeled this way
Products on this site that contain it
| Product | As written on the label |
|---|---|
| 「太鼓判」中華そば 3食シマダヤ | クチナシ色素 |
Product pages are in Japanese for now; each one reads every ingredient on the label.
Related pages
Sources
- Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) (Japanese)
- EU Regulation 1333/2008 (EUR-Lex)
- US FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
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.