Ingredient
E numbers
A code, not a warning.
The story
An E number is simply a European code for an approved food additive. E100 is curcumin, from turmeric. E120 is carmine, from insects. E160c is paprika extract. Plenty of E numbers are ordinary foods, and plenty of natural ingredients have one. Six synthetic colours, including tartrazine E102, sunset yellow E110 and allura red E129, carry a legal warning in Britain that they may affect activity and attention in children, which is the reason so many sweet labels mention it.
