INS 122 is the code for carmoisine
Red colour used in jellies, sweets, flavoured milk and packaged desserts.
- What it does
- Colours the food A colour
- Also printed as
- Azorubine
- Vegetarian?
- Vegetarian Made chemically
- In the Zabel score
- 10 of the 20 additive points Method 1.0.0
- In our catalogue
- 112 packs List it in their ingredients
Is INS 122 vegetarian?
INS 122 is made chemically, so it does not by itself make a food non-vegetarian. The green or brown mark on the pack is still the declaration to go by, because it covers every other ingredient too.
| Food category | Share | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuits and cookies | 21% | |
| Ice cream and frozen desserts | 20% | |
| Spreads and jams | 19% | |
| Other beverages | 10% | |
| Sweets and candy | 6% | |
| Everything else | 25% |
Counted from the 112 packs in Zabel's catalogue that list INS 122, 102 of which have a food category so far. Counted 4 Nov 2026.
What does the evidence say about INS 122?
We grade an additive by the evidence about it, not by whether it sounds like a chemical, and we make no claim about whether a pack complies with FSSAI rules.
One of the six colours in the 2007 Southampton trial, which reported increased hyperactivity in children after a mixture of these colours with sodium benzoate. The EU requires foods containing it to carry the warning "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". India requires no such warning. FSSAI permits it within the 100 ppm total synthetic colour limit. Banned as a food colour in the United States, permitted in India and the EU.
Does Zabel mark INS 122 down?
Yes, by 10 points. The additives part of the score starts at 20, and each code takes off a fixed amount set by the strength of the evidence about it, not by the fact that it is an additive (method 1.0.0). Read the method.
Questions people search
What is INS 122?
INS 122 is the code for carmoisine, a colour. Red colour used in jellies, sweets, flavoured milk and packaged desserts.
Is INS 122 vegetarian?
INS 122 is made chemically, so it does not by itself make a food non-vegetarian. The green or brown mark on the pack is still the declaration to go by, because it covers every other ingredient too.
What does the evidence say about INS 122?
One of the six colours in the 2007 Southampton trial, which reported increased hyperactivity in children after a mixture of these colours with sodium benzoate. The EU requires foods containing it to carry the warning "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". India requires no such warning. FSSAI permits it within the 100 ppm total synthetic colour limit. Banned as a food colour in the United States, permitted in India and the EU.
Does Zabel mark INS 122 down?
Yes, by 10 points. The additives part of the score starts at 20, and each code takes off a fixed amount set by the strength of the evidence about it, not by the fact that it is an additive (method 1.0.0).
What other names is INS 122 printed under?
Packs also print it as Azorubine, or as the bare number 122 in brackets after the ingredient.
Sources
- 01 Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial McCann et al., The Lancet 370(9598), 2007
- 02 Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, Annex V - additives requiring the children's activity and attention warning European Union, 2008
- 03 Zabel catalogue - pack counts, food categories and the codes printed alongside 4 Nov 2026
Entry updated 19 Sep 2026 · Not reviewed by a dietitian yet · Report an error on this page
Point the camera at the pack.
Zabel reads every INS code on it, shows the score, and shows the working.