Why use E102 instead of benign colourings?

Why use E102 instead of benign colourings?

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GliderRider

Original Poster:

2,568 posts

91 months

Friday 29th March 2024
quotequote all
I bought a pack of six vegetable patties made by the Original Pattie Company recently, only to find that they contain tartrazine (E102) colouring. From past experience I'm one of the 0.1% of the population affected by tartrazine, in my case by making me wheeze and my throat feel swollen.

Researching some other makes of patties available in the UK, E102 seems to be used in the majority of them. The pattie manufacturer of the ones I bought does put a warning on the pack that E102 may be harmful to children, so why they would use it in patties instead of, say, beta carotene?

21TonyK

12,086 posts

219 months

Friday 29th March 2024
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Cost. A whole load of guidance to food manufacturers here...

https://www.reading.ac.uk/foodlaw/pdf/uk-11026-rem...


Ham_and_Jam

2,729 posts

107 months

Saturday 30th March 2024
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As well as cost, stability and effectiveness.

I use to work in food product development, and did a lot of work replacing artificial colours in food to their natural equivalents. Some colours in foods are just difficult to make work, and can fade or seperate over the shelf life.

Most are workable, but often the best solutions can be expensive.

GliderRider

Original Poster:

2,568 posts

91 months

Saturday 30th March 2024
quotequote all
21TonyK, thank you for the link. It more or less confirms Ham_ and_Jam 's own experience. I just hope the patty makers decide that the veggie ones don't need to be yellow after all.