E150a — Plain caramel
E150a (Plain caramel), a color, is rated "safe": no significant concern. Traditional caramel color made by heating sugar with no ammonia or sulphite. The safest of the four caramel-color types because it contains no 4-MEI.
What is Plain caramel?
Caramel color made the traditional way: just heating sugar until it browns. Used in soy sauce, vinegar, baked goods, and beer.
What does it do to the body?
Essentially burnt sugar. None of the 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI, a byproduct flagged as a possible carcinogen) that forms with the ammonia-processed caramel types. Safe at food levels.
What regulators say
EFSA kept the group acceptable daily intake at 300 mg per kg of body weight per day in 2011. FDA-approved without restriction.
Risk rating: Safe
Cleared by EFSA with no significant concern at typical dietary exposure. Common, well-studied, and not a reason to put a product back on the shelf.
Source: EFSA — re-evaluation of caramel colours (2011) ↗