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LAST VERIFIED JUL 24, 2026

8 food additives permitted in the United States are banned or restricted in the European Union.

A jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction record — US, EU, UK, Canada, Japan — for the 15 most-used US food additives. Maintained weekly by ReformulateIQ; every status links to its primary source.

15 INGREDIENTS · FOOD ADDITIVES
INGREDIENTUSEUUKCANADAJAPAN
Potassium bromateE924PermittedBannedBanned1990Banned1994Restricted▾
PropylparabenE216PermittedBanned2006Banned2006PermittedRestricted▾
AzodicarbonamideADA · E927aPermittedBannedBannedPermittedBanned▾
BHAButylated hydroxyanisole · E320PermittedRestrictedRestrictedPermittedRestricted▾
BHTButylated hydroxytoluene · E321PermittedRestrictedRestrictedPermittedRestricted▾
Red 3Erythrosine · E127Revoked — 20272027Restricted1994Restricted1994PermittedPermitted▾

A synthetic cherry-pink dye used in candy, maraschino cherries, and some medications. In January 2025 the FDA revoked its authorization for foods — a mixed status: the food deadline is January 2027, drugs have until January 2028.

Status wording by jurisdiction
USFDA revoked authorization for foods (Jan 2025). Foods must comply by Jan 15, 2027; ingested drugs by Jan 18, 2028. Legal to sell until then.source ↗
EUAuthorized only in cocktail and candied cherries (200 mg/kg) and Bigarreaux cherries (150 mg/kg) — a restriction dating to Directive 94/36/EC.source ↗
UKFollows assimilated EU law — the cherries-only exception applies in Great Britain too.source ↗
CAPermitted within Health Canada colour limits (up to 300 ppm); re-reviewed after the US revocation and kept, with a new use added in 2024.source ↗
JPPermitted as a designated additive (Food Red No. 3); Japan's CAA requested voluntary industry inspections in April 2025 but has not restricted it.source ↗
Commonly found in
CandyMaraschino cherriesBaked goods
Browse products containing E127 on Open Food Facts ↗
Mixed status ≠ banned today
Red 3 is still legal in US foods until the January 2027 compliance date. We show the revocation and the deadline, not a blanket "banned."
Green 3Fast Green · E143PermittedBannedBannedPermittedPermitted▾
Titanium dioxideTiO₂ · E171PermittedBanned2022PermittedPermittedPermitted▾
BVOBrominated vegetable oilRevoked — 20242024BannedBannedBanned2024Banned▾
Red 40Allura Red · E129PermittedWarning label2010Warning label2010PermittedPermitted▾
Yellow 5Tartrazine · E102PermittedWarning label2010Warning label2010PermittedPermitted▾
Yellow 6Sunset Yellow · E110PermittedWarning label2010Warning label2010PermittedPermitted▾
Blue 1Brilliant Blue · E133PermittedPermittedPermittedPermittedPermitted▾
Blue 2Indigotine · E132PermittedPermittedPermittedPermittedPermitted▾
CyclamateE952Banned1970PermittedPermittedRestrictedBanned1969▾
Click any row for status wording, sources, and products.STATUSES: BANNED · WARNING LABEL · RESTRICTED · PERMITTED
Potassium bromateE924▾
USPermittedEUBannedUKBannedCABannedJPRestricted
PropylparabenE216▾
USPermittedEUBannedUKBannedCAPermittedJPRestricted
AzodicarbonamideADA · E927a▾
USPermittedEUBannedUKBannedCAPermittedJPBanned
BHAButylated hydroxyanisole · E320▾
USPermittedEURestrictedUKRestrictedCAPermittedJPRestricted
BHTButylated hydroxytoluene · E321▾
USPermittedEURestrictedUKRestrictedCAPermittedJPRestricted
Red 3Erythrosine · E127▾
USRevoked '27EURestrictedUKRestrictedCAPermittedJPPermitted

A synthetic cherry-pink dye used in candy, maraschino cherries, and some medications. In January 2025 the FDA revoked its authorization for foods — a mixed status: the food deadline is January 2027, drugs have until January 2028.

Mixed status ≠ banned today
Red 3 is still legal in US foods until the January 2027 compliance date. We show the revocation and the deadline, not a blanket "banned."
USFDA revoked authorization for foods (Jan 2025). Foods must comply by Jan 15, 2027; ingested drugs by Jan 18, 2028. Legal to sell until then. source ↗
EUAuthorized only in cocktail and candied cherries (200 mg/kg) and Bigarreaux cherries (150 mg/kg) — a restriction dating to Directive 94/36/EC. source ↗
UKFollows assimilated EU law — the cherries-only exception applies in Great Britain too. source ↗
CAPermitted within Health Canada colour limits (up to 300 ppm); re-reviewed after the US revocation and kept, with a new use added in 2024. source ↗
JPPermitted as a designated additive (Food Red No. 3); Japan's CAA requested voluntary industry inspections in April 2025 but has not restricted it. source ↗
CandyMaraschino cherriesBaked goods
Products containing E127 on Open Food Facts ↗
Green 3Fast Green · E143▾
USPermittedEUBannedUKBannedCAPermittedJPPermitted
Titanium dioxideTiO₂ · E171▾
USPermittedEUBannedUKPermittedCAPermittedJPPermitted
BVOBrominated vegetable oil▾
USRevoked '24EUBannedUKBannedCABannedJPBanned
Red 40Allura Red · E129▾
USPermittedEUWarn labelUKWarn labelCAPermittedJPPermitted
Yellow 5Tartrazine · E102▾
USPermittedEUWarn labelUKWarn labelCAPermittedJPPermitted
Yellow 6Sunset Yellow · E110▾
USPermittedEUWarn labelUKWarn labelCAPermittedJPPermitted
Blue 1Brilliant Blue · E133▾
USPermittedEUPermittedUKPermittedCAPermittedJPPermitted
Blue 2Indigotine · E132▾
USPermittedEUPermittedUKPermittedCAPermittedJPPermitted
CyclamateE952▾
USBannedEUPermittedUKPermittedCARestrictedJPBanned
Tap a card for status wording, sources, and products.
Regulatory intelligence, not legal advice.
The honest part

It's more complicated than it sounds.

“Banned in Europe” headlines flatten real distinctions. Three of them matter enough to state up front.

A "ban" that isn't
Warning labels ≠ bans

Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are fully legal in the EU. Since 2010 they carry a label — "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" — which pushed many brands to reformulate voluntarily. Legal, labeled, and mostly gone are three different things.

EU Regulation 1333/2008 ↗
The US is stricter here
It cuts both ways

Cyclamate, a sweetener, has been banned in the US since 1970 — and in Japan since 1969 — yet is permitted in the EU and UK today, with Canada allowing table-top use only. Stricter isn't a direction any one regulator owns; it's a per-ingredient judgment call about evidence.

21 CFR 189.135 ↗
Already changing
The US is moving

The FDA revoked Red 3's food authorization in January 2025 (compliance by 2027) and announced a voluntary phase-out plan for six petroleum-based dyes. BVO's revocation took effect in August 2024. A snapshot of divergence is not a prediction that it lasts.

FDA order, Jan 2025 ↗ · Phase-out announcement ↗
On the shelf

Where these ingredients commonly appear

Product categories, not brand callouts — formulations vary by product and country, and change often.

Red 40
ALLURA RED · E129
CandySodasCerealsSnack foods
Titanium dioxide
TiO₂ · E171
Candy coatingsChewing gumPowdered sugar
Yellow 5
TARTRAZINE · E102
SodasChipsPickles
Potassium bromate
E924
BreadsRollsPizza dough
BHA / BHT
E320 · E321
CerealsCrackersChewing gum
Propylparaben
E216
TortillasSnack cakes
Methodology

How statuses are determined

Every cell in the matrix reflects the current text of the controlling regulation, not news coverage of it. When a status is genuinely mixed — revoked with a future compliance date, or permitted with narrow exceptions — we say so rather than rounding to “banned.”

PRIMARY SOURCESOne controlling legal text per jurisdiction per ingredient: US eCFR and FDA orders; EU regulations via EUR-Lex; UK assimilated law via legislation.gov.uk and the FSA; Health Canada permitted lists; Japan's designated additives list (CAA, formerly MHLW).
STATUS DEFINITIONSBanned = not authorized for the use shown. Restricted = authorized only in narrower categories or limits than the US. Warning label = authorized with a mandatory advisory. Permitted = authorized for comparable uses. Mixed statuses are stated as such.
UPDATE CADENCEReviewed weekly against the ReformulateIQ regulation database; each row shows its own last-verified date. Corrections ship within one business day of confirmation.
SCOPEv1 covers food additives in five jurisdictions. Category structure is extensible — sunscreen UV filters and cosmetics are candidates for later versions.
REGULATORY INTELLIGENCE, NOT LEGAL ADVICE.

Banned Elsewhere provides regulatory intelligence, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with any regulator. Statuses reflect our reading of the controlling legal text as of the last-verified date; regulations change, and errors are possible. Verify against the linked primary source before acting on it, and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.

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