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E175ColorantLow concern
Gold
In plain words
The short version
Pure gold leaf or flakes — a centuries-old decorative finish on luxury foods.
Why it's green
It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.
Safety profile
No ADI has been set: JECFA allocated none (1977), and EFSA (2016) found the data too limited to perform a risk assessment. Because elemental gold has very low solubility, EFSA did not expect systemic effects. EU specifications allow up to 7% silver and 4% copper. EFSA also recommended that specifications cover particle size, including the share of nanoscale particles in gold powder.
The detail
Pure metallic gold, beaten between sheets of skin or parchment into leaf (~0.1 μm thick) or ground to fine flakes. EU food-grade specifications require at least 90% gold. Decorative use in food dates to ancient Egypt and Renaissance Europe.
Decorative finish on luxury chocolates, wagashi (Japanese confections), haute-cuisine garnishes (gold-leaf desserts and sushi), Indian mithai, and floating flakes in Goldwasser-style liqueurs. Functions purely as decoration; the amount used is microscopic.
Bright yellow metallic leaf or flakes. Completely inert to all food matrices. Does not tarnish, oxidize, or react with acids encountered in food.
Permitted in the EU only for the external coating of confectionery, the decoration of chocolates, and in liqueurs. Not permitted as a color additive in the US: FDA lists gold as delisted (1976), with no permitted uses; it was formerly provisionally listed for cosmetics only.
Sources
- EFSA — Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of gold (E 175) as a food additive (2016) — EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (ANS), EFSA Journal 14(1):4362, 2016. No ADI; data too limited for risk assessment; low solubility
- JECFA — Gold (metallic) (INS 175), evaluation summary — WHO / Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 2018. No ADI allocated; Codex provisions withdrawn
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, consolidated text (18.08.2026), Annex II — EUR-Lex (European Union), 2026. EU permitted uses (confectionery coating, chocolate decoration, liqueurs)
- FDA — Regulatory Status of Color Additives: Gold — US Food and Drug Administration, 1976. US: delisted, no permitted uses
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.