E162 — Beetroot red
E162 (Beetroot red), a color, is rated "safe": no significant concern. The deep red-purple pigment from beetroot. Used to color yogurts, ice cream, sweets, and dressings. The same molecule you eat in any beet salad.
What is Beetroot red?
The deep red-purple pigment extracted from beetroot. Used to color yogurts, ice cream, jellies, gummies, and salad dressings. Increasingly the natural replacement for synthetic red dyes.
What does it do to the body?
Same pigment that gives borscht its color. Eating a lot can turn urine or stool pinkish-red, which is harmless. No safety concern at food-level use.
What regulators say
EFSA and the FDA both treat it as a safe natural color without a numerical acceptable daily intake.
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.