E110 - Food Coloring That Affects Children Badly

Author: Maryam Ayres Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

In this article, learn more about E110 - Food Coloring That Affects Children Badly. E110, or sunset yellow, is a licensed but dangerous food dye..

Like all food additives denoted by E and the first digit 1, E110 belongs to the group of colorants . This code in the food industry means a specific substance known as " sunset yellow ". Its name clearly suggests what color it gives to the products for which it is used.

E110 is used in the manufacture of medicines, food and beverages. The largest doses of it are used respectively in the food industry in the production of jellies , ice creams , confectionery , snacks , sauces , juices and nectars .

Such products can be a source of high doses of E110, which can have negative effects on health.

The most affected in this case are children and adolescents. For this age group, E110 is considered a potentially dangerous food supplement. The daily intake of E110 within 4 mg per kilogram of body weight is indicated as safe . Any amount above this norm can lead to unwanted side effects.

Overeating of E110 with food is associated with negative consequences for specific aspects of children's health. There is evidence that in high doses the substance can provoke various digestive and stomach problems - food allergies, intolerance to certain foods, bloating and more. However, the psycho-intellectual consequences in children are more serious. Studies show that excessive intake of foods and beverages containing E110 can lead to hyperactivity or chronic attention deficit .

An additional danger of the side effects of E110 comes from the fact that the additive is often used together with other colorants, for example with E102 ( tartrazine ) or E123 (amaranth) to achieve denser color nuances in the production of food and beverages.

E110 falls into a group of several food supplements, which in 2009. have been proposed to impose a formal ban on their use in European Union countries. Researchers at the University of Southampton in England then found that banning the use of E110 in food would lead to a 30% reduction in the number of children diagnosed with hyperactivity or chronic attention deficit.

However, the use of E110 in the food industry was not banned, and today the additive is approved for use in both the European Union and the United States. There is, however, a tendency to impose safer substitutes and alternatives. In addition, in many countries, food labels containing E110 already indicate the possible side effects of excessive intake of the supplement.

E110 - Food Coloring That Affects Children Badly

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