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INS 133 · Colour

INS 133 is the code for Brilliant Blue FCF

Blue colour, usually blended with a yellow to make green in candy, ice cream and drinks.

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What it does
Colours the food A colour
Also printed as
FD&C Blue 1
Vegetarian?
Vegetarian Made chemically
In the Zabel score
6 of the 20 additive points Method 1.0.0
In our catalogue
90 packs List it in their ingredients
Vegetarian or not

Is INS 133 vegetarian?

INS 133 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.

Counted from the 90 packs in Zabel's catalogue that list INS 133, 78 of which have a food category so far. Counted 4 Nov 2026.

What the evidence says

What does the evidence say about INS 133?

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.

Was not part of the Southampton mixture. JECFA has set an Acceptable Daily Intake and reviews have not found evidence of harm at permitted levels. It remains a cosmetic additive: it adds colour and nothing else.

Does Zabel mark INS 133 down?

Yes, by 6 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.

Usually found with

Questions people search

What is INS 133?

INS 133 is the code for Brilliant Blue FCF, a colour. Blue colour, usually blended with a yellow to make green in candy, ice cream and drinks.

Is INS 133 vegetarian?

INS 133 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 133?

Was not part of the Southampton mixture. JECFA has set an Acceptable Daily Intake and reviews have not found evidence of harm at permitted levels. It remains a cosmetic additive: it adds colour and nothing else.

Does Zabel mark INS 133 down?

Yes, by 6 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 133 printed under?

Packs also print it as FD&C Blue 1, or as the bare number 133 in brackets after the ingredient.

Sources

  1. 01 Evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) WHO / FAO, 2024
  2. 02 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

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Zabel reads every INS code on it, shows the score, and shows the working.

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