E142 - Green s

At a glance

• What it is: a synthetic green dye (CI Food Green 4) in the triarylmethane family.
• What it does: adds or restores green color in foods; valued for bright hue and good stability.
• Where it’s used: certain confectionery, desserts, edible ices, sauces, and a few processed vegetable products in the EU.
• Safety: the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.
• Labeling: in the EU it appears as “colour: Green S” or “colour: E142”.

Why is Green s added to food?

Food makers use Green s to deliver a consistent, bright green when natural colors alone may fade or shift. It helps standardize the look of mint-flavored sweets, green-tinted desserts, and some processed vegetable products so they match consumer expectations from batch to batch. In the EU, it is only allowed in particular foods and within strict limits, not across all categories.¹

What foods contain Green s?

In the European Union, Green s (E142) is authorized for selected categories such as certain confectionery, desserts and edible ices, sauces and seasonings, and some processed vegetables, each with a maximum permitted level set in law.¹ The exact list and limits are defined in the Union list of food additives (Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008).¹

What can replace Green s?

• Natural greens: chlorophylls and chlorophyllins (E140) and copper complexes of chlorophylls and chlorophyllins (E141) give plant-like greens, though shades and stability differ from E142.
• Color blends: a mix of yellow and blue colors, such as tartrazine (E102) with brilliant blue FCF (E133), can be tuned to match various green tones.
• Product reformulation: some brands opt for naturally green ingredients (herbs, vegetables, tea) where feasible, accepting a more muted color.

How is Green s made?

Green s is produced by chemical synthesis. It belongs to the triarylmethane dye class and is manufactured by building a multi-ring aromatic structure, introducing sulfonic acid groups for water solubility, and converting these acids to their sodium salt form; the finished color is then purified to meet food-grade specifications.² EU specifications also set limits for purity, subsidiary coloring matters, and inorganic salts that may be present from the process.²

Is Green s safe to eat?

EFSA re-evaluated Green s (E142) and established an ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight per day, concluding that it did not raise concerns for genotoxicity or carcinogenicity based on available data.³ EFSA also noted that exposure estimates using maximum permitted levels could exceed the ADI for some children in conservative scenarios, so actual use levels and intake monitoring matter.³ Within the EU, its use is restricted to specific foods and maximum levels to manage exposure.¹

ADI means acceptable daily intake, the amount considered safe to consume every day over a lifetime. It is set with safety margins after reviewing toxicology studies.

Does Green s have any benefits?

Green s does not add nutrition. Its benefit is practical: it provides a stable, vivid green that can survive processing and storage better than many natural colors. This helps products look consistent and recognizable.

Who should avoid Green s?

• People advised by a healthcare professional to avoid synthetic colors or who have a diagnosed sensitivity to color additives.
• Caregivers managing diets for children with strict limits on food colors, especially when overall intake from multiple colored foods could be high.
• Anyone who prefers products colored only with natural ingredients.

If you have concerns, check labels and choose alternatives colored with E140/E141 or naturally green foods.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Green s is a natural plant extract.” Fact: It is a fully synthetic triarylmethane dye defined by EU specifications.²
• Myth: “If it’s allowed, it has no limits.” Fact: In the EU, E142 is only allowed in specific foods and at maximum permitted levels set in law.¹
• Myth: “It hasn’t been safety reviewed.” Fact: EFSA re-evaluated E142 and set an ADI of 5 mg/kg bw/day based on toxicology data.³

Green s in branded foods

To find it on a label in the EU, look in the ingredient list for the additive class “colour” followed by its specific name or E-number, for example “colour: Green S” or “colour: E142.”⁴ Brands may reformulate over time, so always check the most recent packaging.

References

Footnotes

1. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives (Union list and use conditions) — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/food-additives.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specifications for food additives — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32012R0231 ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Re-evaluation of Green S (E 142) as a food additive — EFSA Journal. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1536 ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (ingredient listing of additives) — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011R1169 ↩