E124

What is E124?

Ponceau 4R, also called Cochineal Red A — a synthetic red azo dye that carries the EU's mandatory Southampton Six hyperactivity warning label and is not approved for food use in the United States.

Quick answer

Ponceau 4R (E124), also known as Cochineal Red A, is a synthetic azo dye used to colour foods and drinks bright red. Despite the "cochineal" synonym, it is not the same as natural cochineal/carmine (E120). It's permitted in Australia, New Zealand and the EU, but it's one of the "Southampton Six" colours the EU requires a mandatory hyperactivity warning label on, following a 2007 UK study. It has never been approved for use in the US food supply. In 2009 EFSA cut its Acceptable Daily Intake, and EU use levels were reduced from 2013. Goodnessly rates it Avoid.

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What is ponceau 4r?

Ponceau 4R is a synthetic azo dye manufactured from petroleum-derived aromatic compounds. It produces a bright strawberry-red to scarlet shade. The synonym Cochineal Red A is a historical trade name and does not mean the colour comes from cochineal insects — that natural colour is listed separately as cochineal, carminic acid or carmines (E120). Ponceau 4R is used where a vivid red is wanted in confectionery, drinks and desserts, and it sits on the EU's Southampton Six warning list.

What's it used for?

Bright red colouring in confectionery and lollies
Colouring in soft drinks, cordials and desserts
Used in some jams, jellies and bakery decorations
Occasionally used in certain meat products and surimi in permitted markets

Where you'll find E124 on the shelf

It turns up in brightly coloured red sweets and drinks, and in some desserts and processed foods where a vivid red is wanted.

Lollies & confectionery

Soft drinks & cordials

Jellies & desserts

Some jams & bakery goods

Is ponceau 4r safe? What the research says

Ponceau 4R's biggest controversy traces back to the 2007 Southampton Study, which examined mixtures of artificial colours, including Ponceau 4R, combined with the preservative sodium benzoate, and found a possible link to increased hyperactivity in children. Separately, EFSA cut its Acceptable Daily Intake in 2009, the EU reduced use levels from 2013, and a 2015 refined exposure assessment found intakes below the revised limit after those cuts.

Region	Status	What this means
AU/NZ Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ)	Permitted	Must be declared by name or number (124). No hyperactivity warning label required — FSANZ found insufficient evidence of a causal link at permitted levels.
EU European Union (EFSA)	Permitted with warning	Must carry the label "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" — part of the "Southampton Six" colours. EFSA's 2009 re-evaluation cut the Acceptable Daily Intake from 4 to 0.7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. Commission Regulation (EU) No 232/2012 then reduced or withdrew many maximum use levels from 1 June 2013.
US United States (FDA)	Not approved	Ponceau 4R has never been on the FDA's list of approved colour additives for food and is not permitted in the US food supply. US products typically use Allura Red AC (FD&C Red No. 40) instead when a synthetic red is wanted.

EFSA's 2009 opinion found that, at then-authorised maximum use levels, intake estimates for high-consuming adults and for children could exceed the new 0.7 milligrams per kilogram Acceptable Daily Intake. After EU use-level cuts, EFSA's 2015 refined exposure assessment found none of the estimates exceeded that Acceptable Daily Intake. Separately, EFSA concluded the Southampton Study's findings could not be used as a basis for altering the Acceptable Daily Intake of the individual colours tested.

📰 Recent developments Last checked September 2026

EFSA's 2009 re-evaluation: the Acceptable Daily Intake for Ponceau 4R was cut from 4 to 0.7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day after a fresh look at a long-term mouse study.
EU use-level cuts and 2015 refined exposure: Commission Regulation (EU) No 232/2012 reduced or withdrew many maximum permitted levels from 1 June 2013; EFSA's later refined assessment found exposure estimates below the revised Acceptable Daily Intake.
Southampton Six warning: foods containing E124 must carry the EU hyperactivity warning under Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008; Australia's FSANZ did not introduce an equivalent label.

This section is checked periodically rather than continuously — if you're reading this well after the date above, it's worth confirming nothing has changed before citing it.

Who might want to limit or avoid it

Parents of children who seem to react to artificial colours with increased hyperactivity or attention difficulties, given the Southampton Study's findings and the EU's resulting warning label requirement
People with known azo dye sensitivities, since Ponceau 4R belongs to the same chemical family as other azo dyes associated with rare allergy-type reactions in a small percentage of people
Anyone comparing AU and US-market products, given Ponceau 4R is not approved for US food use

Goodnessly rates E124 Avoid. It's permitted in Australia and the EU, but its inclusion in the EU's mandatory Southampton Six warning label, the 2009 Acceptable Daily Intake cut, and its lack of approval in the US place it in our highest-caution category.

Additives 1

E124 – Ponceau 4R

Synthetic red dye, rated Avoid by Goodnessly. One of the Southampton Six; never approved for use in the United States food supply.

How to spot it on a label

E124 must be declared clearly. Look out for:

Ponceau 4R
Cochineal Red A
124 or E124
Colour (124)

Don't confuse Cochineal Red A (E124, synthetic) with cochineal/carmine (E120, insect-derived). Both can appear as red colourings on labels.

Related additives

Frequently asked questions

Is Ponceau 4R the same as cochineal or carmine?

No. Ponceau 4R (E124) is a synthetic azo dye that is sometimes labelled Cochineal Red A for historical naming reasons. Cochineal, carminic acid and carmines (E120) are insect-derived natural colours. They are different additives with different regulatory listings.

Why does the EU require a warning label on Ponceau 4R but Australia doesn't?

Both regulators reviewed the same 2007 Southampton Study, which found a possible link between mixtures of artificial colours, including Ponceau 4R, combined with the preservative sodium benzoate, and increased hyperactivity in some children. The EU took a precautionary approach and made a warning label mandatory for Ponceau 4R and five related colours, known as the Southampton Six. FSANZ concluded the evidence wasn't strong enough to establish a causal link for the general population and did not introduce an equivalent requirement.

Is Ponceau 4R banned in the United States?

It has never been approved for use in the US food supply in the first place, so there is no ban to speak of in the sense of a previously authorised colour being revoked. Ponceau 4R simply isn't on the FDA's list of permitted colour additives for food.

Does Goodnessly rate E124 as safe, caution or avoid?

Goodnessly rates E124 (Ponceau 4R) as Avoid. It's permitted in Australia and the EU, but its inclusion in the EU's mandatory Southampton Six warning label, the 2009 Acceptable Daily Intake cut, and its lack of approval in the US place it in our highest-caution category.

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