[1]: 463–465 Sunset yellow is often used in conjunction with E123, amaranth, to produce a brown colouring in both chocolates and caramel.

That was the time when the 94/36/EC directive of 1994 was included in EFTA (now EEC) rules and came into effect, after years of delaying tactics from the Norwegian side and a heated political debate.

[12]: 2, 7 Since the 1970s and the well-publicized advocacy of Benjamin Feingold, there has been public concern that food colorings may cause ADHD-like behavior in children.

[12] These concerns have led the FDA and other food safety authorities to regularly review the scientific literature, and led the UK FSA to commission a study by researchers at Southampton University of the effect of a mixture of the "Southampton 6" and sodium benzoate (a preservative) on children in the general population who consumed them in beverages; the study was published in 2007.

[12] The European regulatory community, with a stronger emphasis on the precautionary principle, required labelling and temporarily reduced the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the food colorings; the UK FSA called for voluntary withdrawal of the colorings by food manufacturers.