Article 24 requires that foods containing one or more of the six colours, including Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) and Allura Red AC (E129), carry the warning statement: “name or E number of the colour(s): may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

EFSA states that Sunset Yellow (E 110) is a food colour currently authorised under Commission Regulation 1333/2008. EFSA also says it established an Acceptable Daily Intake of 4 mg/kg body weight per day for the colour.

Since 20 July 2010, pre-packaged foods and drinks containing Sunset Yellow (E110) or Allura Red (E129) have had to carry the warning “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

FD&C Yellow No. 6 is listed as permanently listed, certification required, with the E number E110 and the other names Sunset Yellow, Sunset Yellow FCF, and Orange Yellow S. The page shows it is approved for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics in the United States.

Compulsory warnings regarding the effect of colours on children are required on the labels of prepacked foods. The warning "[name or E number of the colour(s)]: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" is required for prepacked food containing any of the following colours: - E 102 - Tartrazine - E 104 - Quinoline Yellow - E 110 - Sunset Yellow FCF; Orange Yellow S - E 122 - Azorubine; Carmoisine - E 124 - Ponceau 4R; Cochineal Red A - E 129 - Allura Red AC. There is no requirement for foods sold at catering establishments to state these warnings on the menu.

This regulation amends Annex II to restrict the use and levels of three colours, including E110 Sunset Yellow and E124 Ponceau 4R. It confirms that these colours remain regulated under EU food-additive rules.

Sunset Yellow FCF is also known as FD&C Yellow No. 6 and E110. The association says it is used to color many types of foods, including cereals, snack foods, baked goods, gelatins, beverages, dessert powders, crackers, and sauces.

Published in 2007, the study gained significant attention for its findings suggesting that the consumption of Sunset Yellow (E110), Quinoline Yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124), and Allura Red AC (E129) was associated with increased hyperactivity in children. It also led to policy change in 2008, when the European Parliament decreed those foods containing synthetic food dyes, including Allura Red AC, must be labeled with the name or the E-number information followed by the warning "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". As of April 2024, Allura Red AC is not banned outright in any country, but its usage is regulated in several places. For instance, in the EU and Canada, Allura Red AC is permitted for use in food products, but it requires special labeling if it is used. In the EU, the label must include the specific name of the color, i.e. "Allura Red AC," followed by the E number (E129).

A detailed ingredients page for Doritos states that regular Doritos contain synthetic dyes Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40. It also says these appear near the bottom of the ingredients list under "Contains 2% or less of the following" and are responsible for the chip's bright orange color.

Nevertheless, the EU still mandates labeling on foods containing E110 (Yellow 6), requiring the warning, "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children", the same requirement that applies to Red 40 and Yellow 5 under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. EU did, however, require that all foods sold in the region containing Red 40 (as well as Yellow 5 and Yellow 6) must display a warning label stating "[name or E number of the colour(s)]: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". Similar to Red 40, a warning "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" has also been required for foods containing Yellow 5 sold in the EU.

Sunset Yellow FCF (E 110) and Allura Red AC (E 129) are synthetic azo dyes used as food colours in a variety of foods. Following the Southampton study, the European Parliament and Council decided that products containing these colours must bear the warning ‘may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children’. This requirement applies throughout the European Union under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.

Sunset yellow is used in foods, cosmetics, and drugs. The page says that when added to foods sold in the United States it is known as FD&C Yellow 6, and when sold in Europe it is denoted by E Number E110.

After reviewing all the available evidence, the European Food Safety Authority’s scientific panel on additives, the ANS Panel, has lowered the Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) for the artificial food colours Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) and Ponceau 4R (E124). The Panel found that the currently available data did not require a change to the existing ADIs for the three other colours evaluated – Tartrazine (E102), Azorubine/Carmoisine (E122) and Allura Red AC (E129). For the remaining five colours (Quinoline Yellow, Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R, Azorubine/Carmoisine and Allura Red AC), no firm conclusion could be drawn on a possible link with intolerance reactions from the limited scientific evidence available. The European Commission asked EFSA to consider these six colours as a priority after a study was published by Southampton University (McCann et al) in 2007 – the so-called “Southampton study” – linking certain mixtures of these colours and the preservative sodium benzoate with hyperactivity in children.

Foods containing Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124), Sunset Yellow (E110), Carmoisine (E122), Quinoline Yellow (E104) and Allura Red (E129) are required to be labelled with the additional warning: “name or E number of the colour(s): may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

Specific labelling requirements for six authorised food colours: foods containing Sunset yellow (E110) and Allura Red (E129) are required to be labelled with the warning “name or E number of the colour(s): may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

The colours covered by UK warning labelling requirements include: - Tartrazine (E102) - Quinoline Yellow (E104) - Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) - Carmoisine (E122) - Ponceau 4R (E124) - Allura Red AC (E129). These colourings are authorised for use in the UK under specified conditions. However, where required by legislation, products containing these colours must display the warning: "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."

Allura Red AC is a red azo dye that goes by several names, including FD&C Red 40. It is used as a food dye and is approved for use in the EU as food additive E129. Open Food Facts lists E129 as Allura red in the additives database and links it to the EU regulatory framework on food colours.

Regulation 1333/08 lists the six colours that trigger the warning, including Sunset Yellow (E110) and Allura Red (E129), and states that the label must read: “E… may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

In the European Union, it is approved, but it must carry a warning label. However, the EU now requires that all products containing synthetic food dyes display a label reading "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". This changed in 2008, when the EU adopted a common framework for authorizing food additives, under which Allura Red AC is not currently banned.

In the United States, Doritos Nacho Cheese ingredients include: corn, vegetable oil (corn, canola, and/or sunflower oil), maltodextrin, salt, cheddar cheese, whey, monosodium glutamate, buttermilk, and artificial colors including Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. In the United Kingdom, Cool Original Doritos are coloured with natural ingredients like annatto and paprika instead of US-only food colourings like Red 40 and Yellow No. 5.

Artificial colours permitted in the UK/EU Note that those with an asterisk (*) are required to state on the label "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children": - E102 Tartrazine* - E104 Quinoline yellow* - E110 Sunset Yellow FCF; Orange Yellow S* - E122 Azorubine; Carmoisin* - E123 Amaranth - E124 Ponceau 4R; Cochineal Red A* - E127 Erythrosine - E129 Allura Red AC*. In the EU, foods containing the Southampton Six colours will have to carry the warning: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

The EU has one of the strictest ingredients rules… Most of Europe, the EU, require a warning label on the azo dyes, which are Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 (and some others used in Europe) if they are in the products. Most companies reformulate rather than put the warning label.

Yellow 6 (E110) — linked to hyperactivity in children. Yellow 5 (E102) — may cause hyperactivity in children. Red 40 (E129) — linked to hypersensitivity and behavioral effects in some children. These are synthetic food dyes found in many flavored tortilla chips and snack foods including certain Doritos flavors.

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 provides the general framework for the use of food additives in Europe, and in 2011 it was completed with the Union List of approved additives for use in food categories.

Still, the EU has specific labeling requirements for six food colors: Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110), Azorubine/Carmoisine (E122), Quinoline Yellow (E104), and Allura Red AC (E129). Foods containing these colors must carry a label warning that they "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". These requirements reflect concerns raised by the "Southampton study" about potential behavioral effects in children.

Doritos tortilla chips are typically made from corn, vegetable oil, and a seasoning blend that may contain artificial colours such as Red 40 (Allura Red AC, E129) and Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow FCF, E110) in US formulations. These dyes are applied as part of the seasoning coating on the chip after frying, rather than being intrinsic to the corn itself, which is why they are sometimes described as being ‘sprayed on’.

This opinion addresses the potential of food azo-colours to cause intolerance and/or allergic reactions in humans after oral exposure. Among the colours considered are Tartrazine (E102), Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110), Azorubine/Carmoisine (E122), Ponceau 4R (E124) and Allura Red AC (E129). The assessment followed the 2007 Southampton study and subsequent EU regulatory actions, including labeling requirements for products containing these colours with the phrase "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

Doritos España product pages list ingredients for flavours such as Doritos Tex-Mex as: maize, vegetable oils, seasoning (including cheese powder, whey powder, flavourings) and colourings from paprika extract, without listing E110 (Sunset Yellow) or E129 (Allura Red). European-market Doritos often use natural colourings like paprika extract instead of synthetic azo dyes to comply with or avoid additional label warnings under EU law.

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 deals with the conditions of use of food additives, the labelling of additives sold as such and provides the Community list of additives.

Warning required: Foods containing Sunset Yellow (E110) must be labeled in Denmark with the statement: "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". Similar warning requirements apply in the broader European Union for products containing certain synthetic food dyes such as Sunset Yellow (E110) and Allura Red AC (E129). These labelling rules stem from EU regulations introduced after research suggested possible links between these dyes and hyperactivity in children.