Is INS 104 (Quinoline Yellow) safe for babies?

INS 104 (Quinoline Yellow) in kids' food

INS 104 is Quinoline Yellow, a greenish-yellow synthetic food colour. Indian labels often print it only as a number — “Colour (INS 104)” or “Permitted synthetic food colour (104)”. Pikabee flags it in any food for a child under three.

What Pikabee flags, by age

0–6 monthsRED FLAG

Any food other than breast milk or infant formula is flagged at this age, because WHO advises only breast milk for the first 6 months. INS 104 is flagged too.

6–12 monthsRED FLAG

Flagged. The EU does not permit any of these six colours in food made for babies and young children.

12–36 monthsRED FLAG

Still flagged. The EU rule covers food for young children up to three, and in any other food the label must warn “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”.

What it is

Quinoline Yellow is a synthetic colour made for food. It gives sweets, jellies, ice lollies, soft drinks, flavoured milk, cake decorations and biscuit creams their bright shade. On Indian labels it is usually listed as a number after the word “colour”, so it is easy to miss.

It is one of six colours tested in a 2007 study from the University of Southampton, published in The Lancet, which linked a mix of these colours with more hyperactive behaviour in some children. After that study the EU made every food containing any of the six carry a warning on the label.

Names it goes by on labels

INS 104
E104
Colour (104)
Quinoline Yellow
CI 47005
Permitted synthetic food colour
Synthetic food colour

Why Pikabee flags it

EU food-additive law (Regulation 1333/2008) allows an additive in food for infants and young children only if Annex II lists it there, and no synthetic colour is listed. Every other food containing Quinoline Yellow must carry the warning “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children” (Annex V). Pikabee flags it on every food label for a child under three.

Questions parents ask

Is INS 104 (Quinoline Yellow) safe for a baby under 6 months?

Any food other than breast milk or infant formula is flagged at this age, because WHO advises only breast milk for the first 6 months. INS 104 is flagged too.

Is INS 104 (Quinoline Yellow) safe for a 6 to 12 month old baby?

Flagged. The EU does not permit any of these six colours in food made for babies and young children. EU food-additive law (Regulation 1333/2008) allows an additive in food for infants and young children only if Annex II lists it there, and no synthetic colour is listed.

Is INS 104 (Quinoline Yellow) safe for a 1 to 3 year old?

Still flagged. The EU rule covers food for young children up to three, and in any other food the label must warn “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”.

What are the side effects of INS 104 in kids?

The EU requires foods with INS 104 to carry the warning “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”, after the 2007 Southampton study. It is not permitted in EU food for babies and young children. Pikabee flags it for every child under three.

Is INS 104 allowed in baby food?

Not in the EU, which permits no synthetic colours in food for babies and young children. Pikabee follows that rule and flags it wherever the food was made.

How do I spot INS 104 on a label?

Look for “colour”, “food colour” or “synthetic food colour” followed by a number in brackets. 104 is Quinoline Yellow. Scan the ingredient list and Pikabee will name it for you.

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Sources

Last reviewed 6 November 2026.

Related ingredients

Talk to your pediatrician about anything concerning.