E133 - Brilliant blue FCF

At a glance

This section gives a quick overview of what E133 does and where you’ll see it.

• What it is: A synthetic blue food color (also called FD&C Blue No. 1, Blue 1, or Blue 1 Lake).
• Main job: Adds or restores blue color in foods and beverages.
• Typical products: Soft drinks, sports drinks, candies, frostings, gelatin desserts, ice pops, and flavored dairy.
• Regulatory status: Authorized in the U.S. and EU; U.S. batches are individually certified before sale.
• Intake: EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 6 mg per kg body weight per day.
• Not natural: Made by chemical synthesis; “lake” versions are the same dye fixed onto an insoluble base for use in fat-based or dry foods.
• Label names: “E133,” “Brilliant blue FCF,” “FD&C Blue No. 1,” or “Blue 1.”

Why is Brilliant blue FCF added to food?

Food makers use E133 to create bright blue shades, adjust color tone in multi-color products, and keep products looking consistent from batch to batch. In the U.S., FD&C Blue No. 1 is listed for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics at levels consistent with good manufacturing practice, and each lot must pass FDA batch certification before use.¹

What foods contain Brilliant blue FCF?

You’ll most often see E133 in:

• Beverages: soft drinks, sports and energy drinks, flavored waters
• Sweets: hard candies, gummies, marshmallows, chewing gum, icing, and frosting
• Desserts: gelatin desserts, ice pops, sherbets
• Cereals and snack coatings: especially “blue raspberry” or “berry” themes

It is also blended with other colors to make secondary shades, for example:

• Green by combining with tartrazine
• Teal/aqua with sunset yellow FCF
• Purple with allura red

On labels, look for “E133,” “FD&C Blue No. 1,” or “Blue 1.”

What can replace Brilliant blue FCF?

Suitable alternatives depend on the shade, recipe, and label goals:

• Another synthetic blue: indigotine (E132)
• Natural options (often less vivid or more pH‑sensitive): anthocyanins (E163), gardenia blue (E165), or spirulina extract (where permitted)
• Mixes to reach a target hue: blue plus tartrazine for green, or blue plus red for purple

Note that natural colors may shift with acidity, light, or heat and can change flavor; trials are usually needed.

How is Brilliant blue FCF made?

E133 is a fully synthetic color produced by chemical synthesis, not extracted from plants or animals.² For fat-based foods or dry mixes, “lake” colors are made by precipitating the dye onto an insoluble substrate (commonly aluminum hydroxide), producing “Blue 1 Lake” that disperses well in oils and doesn’t bleed into water-based parts of a product.³

Is Brilliant blue FCF safe to eat?

Regulators in the U.S. and EU consider Brilliant blue FCF safe at permitted levels. In the U.S., it is listed for use in foods and must meet strict identity and purity specifications, including limits for impurities and heavy metals, and every batch is certified by the FDA before it can be sold.¹ EFSA re‑evaluated E133 and set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 6 mg per kg body weight per day, finding no safety concern at typical exposures.²

Does Brilliant blue FCF have any benefits?

Its role is cosmetic: it gives products an appealing and consistent blue color. This can help signal flavor expectations (for example, “blue raspberry”) and keep a brand’s appearance uniform from batch to batch. It does not add nutritional value.

Who should avoid Brilliant blue FCF?

• Anyone with a diagnosed sensitivity or allergy to synthetic food colors should avoid products listing “E133,” “FD&C Blue No. 1,” or “Blue 1.”
• Clinically ill, tube‑fed patients: FDA has warned against using Blue 1 to color enteral feeding solutions in critically ill patients due to reports of absorption and serious adverse effects; this warning concerns medical use in hospitals, not normal foods.⁴
• If you’re following a color‑free or elimination diet, choose products without artificial colors and check ingredient lists.

Myths & facts

• “It’s natural.” False. Brilliant blue FCF is a synthetic color made by chemical synthesis.²
• “Blue 1 was banned in Europe.” False. E133 is permitted in the EU within established conditions.
• “Blue dyes always cause hyperactivity.” Not established. U.S. FDA reviews, including a 2011 advisory committee meeting, did not find a causal link for the general population, though research continues and some individuals may be sensitive.⁵
• “Blue 1 Lake is a different chemical.” Misleading. Lakes use the same dye fixed onto an insoluble base to suit fat‑rich or dry applications.³

Brilliant blue FCF in branded foods

You can find E133 in many blue‑colored products such as sports drinks, sodas, “blue raspberry” candies and gums, colorful breakfast cereal pieces or marshmallows, gelatin desserts, ice pops, and ready‑to‑use frostings. Formulas change, so the surest way to know is to read the ingredient list for “E133,” “FD&C Blue No. 1,” or “Blue 1.”

References

Footnotes

1. 21 CFR 74.101 — FD&C Blue No. 1. eCFR (FDA). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-74/subpart-A/section-74.101 ↩ ↩²

2. Re‑evaluation of Brilliant Blue FCF (E 133) as a food additive — EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS). EFSA Journal 2010;8(11):1853. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1853 ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. 21 CFR 82.51 — General specifications and requirements for lakes. eCFR (FDA). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-82/subpart-A/section-82.51 ↩ ↩²

4. Public Health Advisory — Reports of Blue Dye Absorption and Toxicity in Patients Receiving Enteral Feeding Solutions. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/public-health-advisory-reports-blue-dye-toxicity ↩

5. 2011 Food Advisory Committee meeting: Certified Color Additives in Food and Possible Association with ADHD in Children. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/food-advisory-committee/2011-food-advisory-committee-meeting-march-30-31-2011 ↩