Food colourings, also known as colourants, are food additives used for enhancing or restoring the colour of food so as to increase consumers’ appetite and purchase intentions. Generally, colour additives are divided into natural and artificial. Natural colourants, which are extracted from plants, animals, bacteria and minerals, are comparatively safe for consumption. Some of them have nutritional values. In recent years, consumers and food manufacturers prefer to utilize natural colourings; however, the cost is high and the products are relatively unstable. It makes many food manufacturers adopt the synthetic colourings which are low-cost and strong dyeing ability.

In the market, the common artificial colourings are the coal tar dyes, which are extracted and synthesized from petroleum products. It can derive a variety of colours, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, fluorescent and so on. Owing to its great diversity of kinds and wide range of application, it is applicable to food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other types of products. However, coal tar dyes contain complicated chemical structures with varying toxicity, like azo and xanthene. Long-term ingestion results in adverse effects on human health. Therefore, the governments of countries and regions in worldwide have implemented stringent restriction on the usage and dosage of food colourings. Similarly, Macao has promulgated the Administrative Regulation No.30/2017 'Normas relativas à utilização de corantes alimentares em géneros alimentícios' (Standards for the Use of Food Colourings in Foodstuffs) to regulate and monitor the food category, to which food colourings are added in local market. Moreover, in this regulation, it limits the use of colour additives and lists in the ‘Coal Tar Dyes Permitted for Use in Foodstuffs', 'Natural Colorants', 'Isolated Substances from Natural Colorants' and so on. Each list includes the chemical name and its respective number in the 'International Numbering System for Food Additives (INS)'. The code of INS is intended to avoid confusion in the nomenclature of chemicals due to differences across languages and cultures.

Although this regulation allows some coal tar dyes to be used in processed food, these artificial colourings are not substances existing in the nature. After ingestion, it is difficult for human body to metabolise. They would increase the detoxifying burdens of liver and kidneys, and may interfere with the endocrine or immune systems. In order to reduce the health impacts induced by consumption of artificial colourings, citizens should maintain a balanced diet, select natural and fresh food as well as eat less processed food.

Advice to the Trade:

• Use food colourings correctly in accordance with the provisions of the ‘Regulamento Administrativo n.º 30/2017 Normas relativas à utilização de corantes alimentares em géneros alimentícios’ (Administrative Regulation No. 30/2017 Standard for the Use of Food Colouring in Foodstuffs). Any food colourings which are not stated in this regulation should not be used.
• Use a minimum quantity of food-grade additives at a reasonable level to achieve the expected effect.
• Stay informed of Macao’s food safety regulations and standards to facilitate and conduct food inspection timely during the food production and operation. If the food products are found to contain prohibited substances, the food businesses have to stop selling or processing these foods. 

Advice to Public:

• Pay attention to the content of ingredient list on the packaging upon purchase of pre-packaged food products. Choose food products which use natural colorants as food colouring agents so as to reduce intake of artificial colourings as far as practicable.
• Avoid food products with overly bright or unusual colour. Should there be doubts on the safety of food product, please do not buy or eat it.
• Some studies indicate that certain artificial colourings in food are associated with children's behavioural changes, like hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit; hence, parents may opt for fresh and natural food as the staple food for their children, and teach them to consume less confectionery and beverages which contain colourings.
• Before cooking processed meat or dried food commodities, soak them in warm water to reduce the amount of food additives. Using 40⁰C to 50⁰C warm water to treat dried food commodities for 20 to 30 minutes that reduces the residues of food additives.  

001/DIR/DSA/2018