Halloween Lolly Colours: A Parent's Guide to Artificial vs Plant-Based Colours

Halloween lollies are bright on purpose: slime-green gummies, blood-red jellies and blue sour worms. Most of that colour comes from a small set of food colours, and on Australian packs each one has its own number. Once you know a handful of those numbers, you can read a lolly bag in a few seconds and decide what you're happy with.

This guide explains the difference between synthetic and plant-based colours, what the research says, how Australian and European rules differ, and some easy swaps for trick-or-treat night.

How to find colours on an Australian label

Under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, packaged foods have to list added colours in the ingredients. Each one appears by its class name plus its specific name or code number, for example colour (129) or colour (anthocyanins). These code numbers are the same as Europe's E-numbers without the "E". So 129 here is E129 in the EU.

Colours are usually near the end of the ingredient list because only tiny amounts are needed.

The synthetic colours common in lollies

These are made by chemical synthesis rather than taken from a food. They are cheap, stable and very vivid, which is why they show up so often in confectionery.

Green and black lollies are often blends. A "slime" green, for example, is commonly 102 or 104 plus 133.

What the research says

The best-known study is from the University of Southampton, published in The Lancet in 2007 (McCann et al.). Children aged 3 and 8–9 drank mixtures of six synthetic colours (102, 104, 110, 122, 124 and 129) plus the preservative sodium benzoate (211). The researchers found the mixtures were associated with increased hyperactive behaviour in some children in the general population, not only in children already diagnosed with ADHD. These six are now often called the "Southampton colours".

It's worth keeping this in proportion:

• The study tested mixtures, so it can't show which single colour, if any, was responsible.
• Effects varied a lot between children, and studies indicate some children seem more sensitive than others.
• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed the study in 2008. It found the evidence too limited to change safety limits for individual colours. When EFSA later re-evaluated each colour (2009 onwards), it lowered the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for some of them, including 104, 110 and 124, based on other toxicology data.

Australia vs Europe: different rules, same study

Europe. Since July 2010, EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 (Article 24, Annex V) has required foods containing any of the six Southampton colours to carry this statement on the label:

"May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."

Many European manufacturers reformulated rather than carry the warning, so EU versions of some lollies use plant-based colours instead.

Australia and New Zealand. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) reviewed the same evidence and did not require a warning label. FSANZ's survey of added colours in foods found that Australians' estimated intakes of these colours were well below the ADIs, and it concluded that no regulatory change was needed. All six Southampton colours, and 133, remain permitted here within the Code's limits. You still need to read the ingredient list, because there's no warning on the front of the pack.

What about blue (133)? People often ask whether brilliant blue FCF is banned in the UK. It isn't: E133 is permitted in the UK and EU and isn't one of the six Southampton colours, so it doesn't need the warning. In the US, the FDA announced in 2025 that it plans to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the food supply, which is why 133 has been in the news.

Plant-based colours: the alternatives

Plenty of lollies, especially newer "no artificial colours" lines, get their colour from foods instead. Look for these numbers or names:

You may also see spirulina extract for blue, or "fruit and vegetable concentrates". These are often listed as ingredients rather than numbers.

A note on 120. Cochineal or carmine (120) is natural, but it comes from insects rather than plants. It isn't suitable for vegetarians or vegans, and it has been associated with allergic reactions in a small number of people. Goodnessly rates it Moderate Risk.

Plant-based colours can be a little less vivid, and they can fade with light or heat. A plant-coloured "slime" gummy may look more olive than neon, and that's normal.

Easy swaps for trick-or-treat night

• Check the bag before the night. Flip packs over and look for 102, 104, 110, 122, 124, 129 and 133 in the ingredients.
• Choose "no artificial colours" ranges. Then confirm on the back that the colours are numbers like 163, 162 or 160c.
• Go chocolate. Plain chocolate usually has no added colours at all, but check any coated or decorated versions.
• Make your own spooky treats. Beetroot powder gives pink "blood", turmeric gives yellow, blueberries and blackberries give purple, and cocoa gives black-brown.
• Do a lolly swap. Let kids trade their collected lollies for a few treats you've pre-checked, or for a small toy.
• Scan it. The free Goodnessly app reads the barcode and shows each additive with its rating, so you don't have to memorise numbers.

The bottom line

Halloween is one night, and how much attention you pay to lolly colours is a family choice. If you'd like to limit the synthetic ones, the numbers make it simple: the six Southampton colours plus 133 cover most bright lollies, and plant-based colours like 163, 162 and 160c are easy to find. If you have concerns about your child's behaviour or reactions to foods, speak with your GP.

Sources - McCann D, et al. Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community. The Lancet. 2007;370(9598):1560–1567. - EFSA. Assessment of the results of the study by McCann et al. (2007). EFSA Journal 2008;660:1–54. EFSA re-evaluations of E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 and E129 (2009). - Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, Article 24 and Annex V. - FSANZ. Food colours, and the Survey of added colours in foods available in Australia (2008). Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 1.2.4 and Schedule 15. - US FDA. HHS and FDA announce plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes (April 2025).

Goodnessly ratings (Risk Free, Limited Risk, Moderate Risk, Hazardous Risk) come from our own rating system. They are general information, not medical advice.