Caramel Colour (Class III and IV)
Decode Label notes Caramel Colour (Class III and IV) for information in food and drink (impurity contamination). It appears in 17 of the 912 published products we have analysed (1.9%).
The concern
Ammonia-process caramel can contain 4-methylimidazole, a possible human carcinogen
The ammonia and sulphite-ammonia caramel colours (classes III and IV) can contain 4-methylimidazole, a by-product that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) on the basis of animal studies. The EU food safety authority sets limits on it in these colours. Plain caramel (class I, E150a) is made without ammonia and is a different substance.
Most relevant to
Cited authority
IARC Monographs Volume 101 (2012), 4-methylimidazole; EFSA Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of caramel colours (E 150a-d), EFSA Journal 2011;9(3):2004
Linked sources: EU →
How common it is in this catalogue
Measured across every product Decode Label has analysed — not estimated, and not taken from anyone else's dataset.
By category
Hazard classification
The concern is the ammonia-process by-product 4-methylimidazole, not caramel colour itself. Classes I and II are not produced by the ammonia process.
Identity
- Canonical name
- Caramel colour class III and IV
- CAS number
- 8028-89-5
- E number
- 150c
- INS number
- 150c
Also appears on labels as
Questions
Is Caramel Colour (Class III and IV) safe?
EU: EU Reg. 231/2012 — specification limit on the by-product 4-MEI (IARC Group 2B). Why it is flagged: Ammonia-process caramel can contain 4-methylimidazole, a possible human carcinogen. It appears in 17 of the 912 published products we have analysed (1.9%).
How common is Caramel Colour (Class III and IV) in Indian packaged products?
Decode Label found Caramel Colour (Class III and IV) in 17 of 912 published products (1.9%), most often in Food, Beverages.
Which authorities have classified Caramel Colour (Class III and IV)?
EU — EU Reg. 231/2012 — specification limit on the by-product 4-MEI (IARC Group 2B).
Who should be most careful with Caramel Colour (Class III and IV)?
Anyone eating this regularly; Children.
Products containing Caramel Colour (Class III and IV)
17 published products, each with its own full analysis.
Related ingredients
Other entries in the register with the same kind of concern.
Method and limits
- Prevalence counts published products whose decoded ingredient list matches this substance or one of its label synonyms, using the same matching the score itself uses. It describes our catalogue of 912 products, not the Indian market as a whole.
- Presence is not dose. An ingredient list gives order, not quantity, unless the pack declares a percentage. Nothing here estimates how much of this substance any product contains.
- A classification is not a verdict on a product. An agency classifies a substance under defined conditions of exposure; whether that matters in a given food or cosmetic depends on route, concentration and use.
- No regulatory rows. This substance is not matched in our regulatory warehouse, so the concern above rests on the cited authority alone.
- Last updated. This register entry was last changed on 3 November 2026.
- Corrections. Every figure here is reproducible from the sources named. If something is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and say what changed.