Ingredient Index · E131

Is Patent Blue V (E131) banned in Europe?

Banned in US only

Another reversed case: Patent Blue V is not on the FDA list of approved food colors, so it is effectively banned in US food. The EU permits it as E131 for limited uses and capped amounts.

E-number: E131CAS: 3536-49-0 Also seen as: Patent Blue V, E131, Acid Blue 3, CI 42051

What the EU does

Permitted, with limits. Patent Blue V is authorized in the EU as the food color E131. Its use is restricted to certain categories and maximum levels rather than being open-ended, and like the other synthetic colors it sits under ongoing EFSA review with a defined acceptable daily intake.

It is a blue triarylmethane dye, chemically different from the FD&C blues used in the US, and it also has a long history as a medical dye used to map lymph nodes during surgery, a use that is separate from food.

Citation E131 authorized for limited uses under Reg (EC) No 1333/2008 (EU food additives), Annex II; EFSA re-evaluation of Patent Blue V (E131), 2013

What the US does

Not approved. The FDA has never added Patent Blue V to its list of color additives permitted in food, which means it cannot legally be used to color food sold in the US. In practice that is a ban: American food companies use FD&C Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2 instead.

This is the same pattern as several other European colors. The US color-additive system is a positive list, so a dye that was never approved is simply unavailable, without a dramatic ban ever being announced.

Citation US: Patent Blue V not listed among FDA-approved color additives (21 CFR Parts 74 and 82); permitted US blues are FD&C Blue No. 1 and No. 2

Products that commonly contain it

Because it is not a US food color, you would meet it mainly abroad, in:

Some European confectionery, ice creams, and drinks
Blue and green shades in imported sweets
Certain Scandinavian and continental European products
Medical settings, as a lymphatic mapping dye (a non-food use)

What to look for on a label

On a European label you can spot it directly:

Look for "E131" or "Patent Blue V" in the ingredients
In the US it will not appear; American blues are FD&C Blue No. 1 and No. 2
Blue and green candy shades abroad are the most likely place to find it

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 Patent Blue V banned in Europe?

No. The EU permits Patent Blue V as the food color E131 for limited uses. It is the US, where it was never approved, that effectively bans it from food.

What do US products use instead?

American food companies use FD&C Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2, the blues on the FDA-approved color list.

Is it the dye used in surgery?

Yes, Patent Blue V is also used medically to map lymph nodes during certain operations. That is a separate use from food coloring.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed August 17, 2026 · How we assign statuses