Summer 1998

TRUE COLOURS - the FAC's consideration of the use of canthaxanthin

The FAC has an on-going interest in colours as part of its remit to advise on the safety of chemicals in foods. At a recent meeting, it considered new advice on the safety of canthaxanthin, an orange-red pigment used to colour egg yolks and the flesh of farmed salmon and trout. After careful consideration, the Committee withdrew its recommendation for a ban on the use of canthaxanthin in animal feeds but agreed to take another look at the question of labelling.

What is canthaxanthin?

Canthaxanthin is a substance added to the feed of laying hens - both free-range and caged - and farmed salmon and trout. The result is more golden egg yolks and deeper pink fish, which producers and retailers say that consumers prefer. In wild salmon and trout, this colour is produced by naturally occurring canthaxanthin, and other naturally occurring pigments, in the fishes' diet. Crustaceans are a typical source of this product - flamingos kept in captivity are often fed shrimps to intensify the shade of their pink plumage.

FAC's initial views

In 1990, the Committee recommended that its ban on the use of canthaxanthin in food should be extended to cover animal feed. This followed the decision by the COT to withdraw its Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for canthaxanthin, in the light of evidence that it could cause eye damage if taken in large amounts.

EU legislation and safety advice

Concerns over the direct use of canthaxanthin in food were shared by the SCF and other EU member states. Consequently, during negotiations on a directive covering colours in food (94/36/EC), it was agreed that its use should be restricted to only one traditional French product - Saucisses de Strasbourg.

Although the UK also tried to get a European ban on the use of canthaxanthin in animal feed, the EU advisory committee responsible for this area, the Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition, felt that an immediate ban was not necessary. After consulting the SCF, it agreed to review the situation again once further data on canthaxanthin deposition in the eye were available. In June 1997, the SCF considered these data and set an ADI of 0-0.03 mg/kg body weight.

FAC's latest advice

The FAC recently reviewed its 1990 recommendation. In doing so, it took into account the latest safety advice from the SCF and estimates of the dietary intakes of canthaxanthin by consumers of eggs and farmed fish. Intakes by most consumers were shown to be well below the ADI. The Committee concluded that the use of canthaxanthin in poultry and fish feed did not give rise to any food safety concerns. On this basis, it withdrew its earlier advice that the pigment should not be used in animal feed.

Consumer information

Although the FAC agreed that canthaxanthin could be used in animal feed, there was some concern that consumers are currently unaware of its presence in food. This is because, unlike colours added during the processing of foods which must be declared in the ingredients' listing, colours which are added to animal feed to give colour in the final product need not be labelled. The Committee will return to the question of labelling at a future meeting.

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