Tag: E123

In 1976, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the food additive known as Red Dye #2 following mounting safety concerns. The common name for this dye is Amaranth, and it is a synthetic red azo dye derived from petroleum byproducts.

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), E123, also known as Amaranth, is an azo dye consisting of trisodium 2-hydroxy-1-(4-sulfonato-1-naphthylazo)naphthalene-3,6-disulfonate, derived from petroleum derivatives. It is not related to the natural amaranth grain.