FD&C Red No. 4

FD&C Red No. 4 is a synthetic dye no longer permitted in food in the United States. After being delisted for general food use it survived for years in one product only — maraschino cherries — before that permission lapsed too.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of FD&C Red No. 4 by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

A synthetic azo dye produced from petroleum-derived aromatic intermediates. Its history is a useful reminder that a listing can narrow to a single food before disappearing, rather than ending all at once.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
InChIKey
ONTQJDKFANPPKK-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 62542

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 4548-53-2

As it appears in regulation

  • FD&C Red No. 4

Other names

  • 1-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-((6-sulfo-2,4-xylyl)azo)-, disodium salt
  • 12101 Red
  • 1306 Red
  • 2-(6-Sulfo-2,4-xylylazo)-1-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid, disodium salt
  • 2-(6-Sulpho-2,4-xylylazo)-1-naphthol-4-sulphonic acid, disodium salt
  • 3-((2,4-DIMETHYL-5-SULFOPHENYL)AZO)-4-HYDROXY-1-NAPHTHALENESULFO
  • 4-Hydroxy-3-((5-sulfo-2,4-xylyl)azo)-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, disodium salt
  • 4-Hydroxy-3-((5-sulpho-2,4-xylyl)azo)-1-naphthalenesulphonic acid, disodium salt
  • 4R purple
  • AKA504
  • C.I. Food Red 1
  • C.I. Food Red 1, disodium salt
  • CCRIS 3188
  • Certicol Ponceau SXS
  • Cerven potravinarska 1 [Czech]
  • Crimson 4R
  • D&C RED NO. 4
  • Disodium 2-(5-sulfo-2,4-xylylazo)-1-naphthol-4-sulfonate
  • Disodium 3-((2,4-dimethyl-5-sulfophenyl)azo)-4-hydroxy-1-naphthalenesulfonate
  • Dye FD & C Red No. 4
  • Dye FD and C Red No. 4
  • Edicol Supra Ponceau SX
  • FD & C Red no. 4
  • FD and C Red No. 4
  • FD&C Red 4
  • FD&C Red No. 4
  • fd&c red no. 4 (c.i. 14700 (Na))
  • FD&C Red No. 4 - Aluminium Lake
  • FDC RED NO. 4
  • Food red 1
  • GRRDBTDTMCTWQZ-ZAWKPCBGSA-L
  • Hexacol Ponceau SX
  • Maple Ponceau SX
  • Ponceau SX
  • Ponceau SX Lake
  • Ponceau SX, AldrichCPR
  • Ponceau SX, analytical standard
  • Purple 4R
  • Red 4
  • Red Lake 89865N
  • Red No. 1
  • Red No. 4
  • Red shade #24
  • Usacert FD & C Red No. 4
  • Usacert Red No. 4
  • X3W0AM1JLX

Systematic names

  • 1-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 3-((2,4-dimethyl-5-sulfophenyl)azo)-4-hydroxy-, disodium salt
  • 1-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 3-(2-(2,4-dimethyl-5-sulfophenyl)diazenyl)-4-hydroxy-, sodium salt (1:2)
  • 3-((2,4-Dimethyl-5-sulfophenyl)azo)-4-hydroxy-1-naphthalenesulfon- ic acid, disodium salt
  • 3-((2,4-Dimethyl-5-sulfophenyl)azo)-4-hydroxy-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, disodium salt
  • 3-((2,4-Dimethyl-5-sulphophenyl)azo)-4-hydroxy-1-naphthalenesulphonic acid, disodium salt
  • Disodium 3-((2,4-dimethyl-5-sulphonatophenyl)azo)-4-hydroxynaphthalene-1-sulphonate
  • disodium 3-[(E)-(2,4-dimethyl-5-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl]-4-hydroxynaphthalene-1-sulfonate
  • DISODIUM 3-[(E)-2-(2,4-DIMETHYL-5-SULFONATOPHENYL)DIAZEN-1-YL]-4-HYDROXYNAPHTHALENE-1-SULFONATE
  • disodium;3-[(2,4-dimethyl-5-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl]-4-hydroxynaphthalene-1-sulfonate

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

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

    Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/fd-and-c-red-no-4.json