Brown HT
بنّي HT
Colour (synthetic azo dye)
The verdict
A brown dye faking cocoa colour — limit was cut, and kids can still exceed it.
What it is
A synthetic brown azo dye ('chocolate brown') used to imitate the colour of cocoa or caramel in baked goods and desserts.
Its nickname says it all — 'chocolate brown' — because its job is to make products look like they contain cocoa or caramel when they may contain neither. EFSA took a harder line here than on most dyes, cutting the safe limit by half to 1.5 mg/kg, and even then flagged that big consumers, including young children, can exceed it. It's an azo dye but not one of the Southampton hyperactivity colours. Bottom line: a stand-in for the real thing, on a tighter leash than its cousins.
Evidence & status
IARC carcinogen group
not_classified
Acceptable intake
ADI 1.5 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA 2010, reduced)
EU status
approved (ADI 1.5 mg/kg, EFSA 2010)
US · FDA status
NOT approved for food use in the US
Halal status: halal
Synthetic dye (no animal source); halal and vegan.
Worth knowing
Also known as
E 155 · Chocolate Brown HT · Food Brown 3 · CI Food Brown 3
Primary source
Evidence, not medical advice. You decide.
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