# Canthaxanthin — Food color additive cross-reference: US FD&C designation vs EU E-number, with regulatory status comparison

For Canthaxanthin, eu e-number is E 161g; eu food use status is not authorised in the food categories listed in Part D and E, verified against its source on 2026-08-10.

- **Color additive name:** Canthaxanthin _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **EU E-number:** E 161g _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **EU food use status:** not authorised in the food categories listed in Part D and E _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> E 161g | Canthaxanthin ( *1 ) | E 162 | Beetroot Red, betanin | E 163 | Anthocyanins | E 170 | Calcium carbonate | <https://web.archive.org/web/20250605215849/https:/eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=celex:32022R0063> ▼M98 | E 171 | Titanium dioxide ( *2 ) | <https://web.archive.org/web/20250605215849/https:/eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=celex:32011R1129> ▼M2 | E 172 | Iron oxides and hydroxides | E 173 | Aluminium | E 174 | Silver | E 175 | Gold | E 180 | Litholrubine BK | ( 1 ) The term caramel relates to products of a more or less intense brown colour which are intended for colouring. It does not correspond to the sugary aromatic product obtained from heating sugars and which is used for flavouring food (e.g. confectionery, pastry, alcoholic drinks). ( *1 ) Canthaxanthin is not authorised in the food categories listed in Part D and E.

## Source

- https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02008R1333-20241216

Last verified: 2026-08-10. Review by: 2027-08-10.
Part of [Food color additive cross-reference: US FD&C designation vs EU E-number, with regulatory status comparison](https://referencesource.org/food-color-additive-status-us-vs-eu/).