Food colours in selected foods

Abstract

In a targeted survey, a total of 1799 samples were collected and analyzed for up to 216 different food colours. Samples included 302 ready-to-serve beverages, 299 candy samples, 297 savoury sauces, 295 spices, 264 sweets, 145 fresh oranges, 52 marmalades, 49 coloured snacks/chips, 49 orange juices and 47 wasabi products. Detectable levels of food colour(s) were found in all product types sampled. All positive samples were minor and/or technical in nature and were referred to the appropriate program for potential follow-up. No product recalls were warranted.