FD&C Green No. 3

INS 143CAS 2353-45-9

Used as a colour.

FD&C Green No. 3, known internationally as Fast Green FCF, is a synthetic blue-green dye. It is permitted in the United States but not in the European Union, which is the reverse of the position for several of the colours on this site.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of FD&C Green No. 3 by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted, with conditions

Subject to batch certification by FDA.

21 CFR 74.203retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

43 food categories

highest permitted level 600 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.1.4 Flavoured Fluid Milk Drinks — 100 mg/kg
  • 01.7 Dairy-based desserts (e.g. pudding, fruit or flavoured yoghurt) — 100 mg/kg
  • 02.1.3 Lard, tallow, fish oil, and other animal fats — GMP
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 100 mg/kg
  • 03.0 Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.11 Fruit fillings for pastries — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.4 Canned or bottled (pasteurized) fruit — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.5 — 400 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.6 Fruit-based spreads (e.g. chutney) excluding products of food category — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.7 Candied fruit — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.8 Fruit preparations, including pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.9 Fruit-based desserts, incl. fruit-flavoured water-based desserts — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.3 Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds in vinegar, oil, brine, or soybean sauce — 300 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.4 Canned or bottled (pasteurized) or retort pouch vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.7 Fermented vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) and seaweed products, excluding fermented soybean products of food categories 06.8.6, 06.8.7, 12.9.1, — 100 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 100 mg/kg
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 300 mg/kg
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 100 mg/kg
  • 06.4.3 Pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products — 290 mg/kg
  • 06.5 Cereal and starch based desserts (e.g. rice pudding, tapioca pudding) — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.1.1 Yeast-leavened breads and specialty breads — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.1.2 Soda breads — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.2 Crackers, excluding sweet crackers — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.3 Other ordinary bakery products (e.g. bagels, pita, English muffins) — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.4 Bread-type products, including bread stuffing and bread crumbs — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.5 Steamed breads and buns — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.6 Mixes for bread and ordinary bakery wares — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes — 100 mg/kg
  • 08.1 Fresh meat, poultry, and game — 100 mg/kg
  • 08.2 Processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 100 mg/kg
  • 08.4 Edible casings (e.g. sausage casings) — 290 mg/kg
  • 09.2.4.1 Cooked fish and fish products — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.2.5 Smoked, dried, fermented, and/or salted fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.3.3 Salmon substitutes, caviar and other fish roe products — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.4 Fully preserved, including canned or fermented fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 100 mg/kg
  • 10.1 Fresh eggs — GMP
  • 10.4 Egg-based desserts (e.g. custard) — 100 mg/kg
  • 12.2.2 Seasonings and condiments — 100 mg/kg
  • 12.6.1 Emulsified sauces and dips (e.g. mayonnaise, salad dressing, onion dips) — 100 mg/kg
  • 13.6 Food supplements — 600 mg/kg
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 100 mg/kg
  • 14.2.6 Distilled spirituous beverages containing more than 15% alcohol — 100 mg/kg
  • 14.2.7 Aromatized alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine and spirituous cooler-type beverages, low-alcoholic refreshers) — 100 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 143and 42 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

A triarylmethane dye synthesised from petroleum-derived aromatic intermediates, closely related in structure to Brilliant Blue FCF.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
2353-45-9
InChIKey
RZSYLLSAWYUBPE-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 16887

Every name it appears under

51 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

INS number

  • 143

CAS registry number

  • 2353-45-9

As it appears in regulation

  • FD&C Green No. 3

Other names

  • 1724 Green
  • 3P3ONR6O1S
  • Aizen Food Green No. 3
  • Benzenemethanaminium,N-ethyl-N-[4-[[4-[et
  • C.I. Food Green 3
  • C.I. FOOD GREEN 3, DISODIUM SALT
  • CCRIS 1867
  • F D & C Green No. 3
  • Fast Green
  • Fast Green FCF
  • Fast Green FCF (Technical Grade)
  • Fast Green FCF 100 microg/mL in Acetonitrile/Water
  • Fast Green FCF 100 |Ig/mL in Acetonitrile/Water
  • Fast Green FCF, analytical standard
  • Fast Green FCF, certified by the Biological Stain Commission
  • Fast Green FCF, Dye content >=85 %
  • fast-green
  • FastGreenFCF
  • FD & C Green no. 3
  • FD&C Green No. 3
  • FDC Green No. 3
  • Food green 3
  • Food Green No. 3
  • Green No. 3
  • HSDB 7973
  • Japan Green 3
  • Solid Green FCF
  • Zelen potravinarska 3
  • Zelen Stala FCF

Systematic names

  • 3-((ethyl((1Z4Z)-4-((4-(ethyl(3-sulfobenzyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hydroxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)cyclohexa-25-dien-1-ylidene)ammonio)methyl)benzenesulfonate disodium salt
  • 3-((ethyl((4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hydroxy-3-sulfophenyl)methylidene)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene))azaniumyl)methyl)benzene-1-sulfonate
  • 5-[[4-[ethyl-[(3-sulfophenyl)methyl]amino]phenyl]-[4-[ethyl-[(3-sulfophenyl)methyl]azaniumylidene]cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl]-2-hydroxybenzenesulfonate
  • Ammonium, ethyl(4-(alpha-(p-(ethyl(m-sulfobenzyl)amino)phenyl)-4-hydroxy-3-sulfobenzylidene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)(m-sulfobenzyl)-, hydroxide, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hyd- roxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulf- o-, hydroxide, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hydroxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-C
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hydroxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, hydroxide, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hydroxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hydroxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, inner salt, sodium salt (1:2)
  • Dihydrogen (ethyl)(4-(4-(ethyl(3-sulphonatobenzyl)amino)(4-hydroxy-2-sulphonatobenzhydrylidene)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)(3-sulphonatobenzyl)ammonium, disodium salt
  • disodium 2-[(4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]amino}phenyl)[(1E,4E)-4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]iminiumyl}cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl]-5-hydroxybenzene-1-sulfonate
  • disodium 2-{(4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]amino}phenyl)[4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]iminio}cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl}-5-hydroxybenzene-1-sulfonate
  • Disodium 2-{(Z)-(4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]amino}phenyl)[(4Z)-4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]iminio}cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl}-5-hydroxybenzene-1-sulfonate
  • disodium 2-{(Z)-(4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]amino}phenyl)[(4Z)-4-{ethyl[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]iminio}cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl}-5-hydroxybenzenesulfonate
  • disodium;2-[[4-[ethyl-[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]amino]phenyl]-[4-[ethyl-[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]azaniumylidene]cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl]-5-hydroxybenzenesulfonate
  • ethyl(4-(alpha-(p-(ethyl(m-sulfobenzyl)amino)phenyl)-4-hydroxy-3-sulfobenzylidene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)(m-sulfobenzyl)ammonium hydroxide inner salt disodium salt
  • N-Ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(4-hyd- roxy-2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulf- obenzenemethanaminium hydroxide, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Sodium 2-((4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)amino)phenyl)(4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)iminio)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)methyl)-5-hydroxybenzenesulfonate
  • Sodium 2-((E)-(4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)amino)phenyl)((E)-4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)iminio)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)methyl)-5-hydroxybenzenesulfonate

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 by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/fd-and-c-green-no-3.json