Ingredient Index · E143 (not authorized in the EU)
Is Green 3 banned in Europe?
Effectively yes: Fast Green FCF (FD&C Green No. 3) is not authorized as a food color anywhere in the EU, which in Europe's positive-list system has the same force as a ban. In the US it is FDA-approved and batch-certified, though it is America's least-used food dye.
What the EU does
Not authorized, which is Europe's quiet version of banned. The EU runs a positive-list system for food colors: if a dye is not on the Union list in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, it may not be used, full stop. Fast Green FCF is not on the list, and unlike some dyes it was never authorized and later withdrawn; it simply never earned a place. The E-number 143 is reserved for it in international numbering but sits unused in Europe.
European food achieves green the way it achieved it before synthetic chemistry: chlorophylls (E140-E141), or blends of authorized blue and yellow colors. That is why a green American cereal or candy often shows a different ingredient list, or a different shade, from its European twin.
Citation Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (Union list; E143 absent)
What the US does
Approved, certified, and barely used. FD&C Green No. 3 is listed for food use at 21 CFR 74.203, with every manufactured batch chemically certified by the FDA before sale, and it holds parallel listings for drugs and cosmetics. It is included in the six-dye voluntary phase-out that HHS and FDA announced in April 2025, though its authorization remains in force.
The striking thing is how little of it exists. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026 the FDA certified about 5,071 pounds of Green 3, against more than 1.1 million pounds of Red 40, roughly 0.4 percent of the volume. Old rat studies found tumors at injection sites, a route with no relevance to eating; the international JECFA review judged it non-genotoxic with a comfortable acceptable daily intake. The honest reading is a dye of minimal dietary significance that two systems simply classified differently.
Citation 21 CFR 74.203; FDA color certification report, Q3 FY2026; JECFA evaluation, 2017
Products that commonly contain it
Green 3 is rare even in America, but it turns up in:
- Mint and lime candies, jellies, and some ice creams
- Canned peas and processed vegetables
- Green-tinted beverages and desserts
- Cosmetics and drugs (as FD&C or D&C Green No. 3)
What to look for on a label
Spotting it takes one glance at the ingredient list:
- "FD&C Green No. 3", "Green 3", or "Fast Green FCF" on US labels
- European products showing "chlorophylls", "E140", "E141", or a blue-plus-yellow pair instead
- Green sodas usually get there with Yellow 5 plus Blue 1, not Green 3
Or skip the squinting: paste the whole ingredient list into our checker and it flags everything in our database. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Is Green 3 banned in Europe?
It has never been authorized as an EU food color, and in the EU's positive-list system, not authorized means it may not be used. Practically, that is a ban, though there was never a dramatic prohibition moment.
Is Green 3 dangerous?
The evidence is thin either way and exposure is tiny. Old studies found tumors where the dye was injected under rats' skin, which does not translate to eating it; the JECFA review found it non-genotoxic orally. It is included in the US voluntary phase-out of synthetic dyes announced in 2025.
Why does the US barely use it?
Food manufacturers can mix cheaper, better-established yellow and blue dyes to make green. FDA certified about 5,071 pounds of it in a recent quarter, versus over a million pounds of Red 40.
Related ingredients
Related reading
Primary sources
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives (EUR-Lex)
- 21 CFR 74.203: FD&C Green No. 3 (eCFR)
- FDA color additive certification report, Q3 FY2026
Last reviewed July 13, 2026 · How we assign statuses