Caramel
CaramelListed as a colour by Canada and the US.
Listed as colours (CA, US)
- Canada: Food colour — Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Colours (List 3)
- United States: Color additive (21 CFR part 73) — 21 CFR 73.85
Caramel colour is among the most widely used food colours, giving cola, soy sauce, gravy and dark beer their brown. There are four classes, made differently; Classes III and IV, made with ammonium compounds, contain 4-methylimidazole, which California requires to be disclosed above a threshold and other regulators limit in the specification.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 1.5 % 8 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Colours (List 3)and 7 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 73.85and 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Canada | 15,000 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit, 6 GMP, 1 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 2 no quantity stated |
What it is made from
Made by heating carbohydrates such as glucose, sucrose or invert sugar, with or without acids, alkalis or salts. Class I uses no ammonium or sulphite compounds, Class II uses sulphite compounds, Class III ammonium compounds and Class IV both; Class IV is the form stable in acidic soft drinks.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Caramel
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Caramel?
- Caramel colour is among the most widely used food colours, giving cola, soy sauce, gravy and dark beer their brown. There are four classes, made differently; Classes III and IV, made with ammonium compounds, contain 4-methylimidazole, which California requires to be disclosed above a threshold and other regulators limit in the specification.
- What is Caramel used for in food?
- It is listed as a colour — the role Canada and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Caramel banned in Europe?
- No. Caramel does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Caramel permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Caramel vegan?
- Yes. Caramel is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
Follow changes to Caramel:Atom feed — regulatory events, and any change the weekly refresh detects in its provisions.