| Factor | Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) |
|---|---|---|
| E-Number | E102 | E320 |
| Category | Artificial Color | Preservative |
| Severity | Moderate Risk (6/10) | Moderate Risk (6/10) |
| FDA Status | FDA-approved. Since 1979, FDA requires Yellow 5 to be specifically listed on food labels (21 CFR 74.705) due to potentia… | FDA classifies BHA as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) at levels up to 0.02% of the fat or oil content of food (21 CF… |
| EFSA Status | EFSA re-evaluated in 2009, maintaining an ADI of 7.5 mg/kg body weight/day. EU requires the same warning label as Red 40… | EFSA set a group ADI of 1.0 mg/kg body weight/day for BHA in 2011. It is approved in the EU but usage is restricted to s… |
| Banned In | — | — |
| Products Found | 26 | 4 |
Both Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) and BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) have the same severity score (6/10). Neither is clearly worse than the other based on current data.
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CheckIt AI. (2026). "Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) vs BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) — Which Is Worse? | CheckIt AI". Climaverse PBC. Retrieved from https://getcheck.it/ingredients/yellow-5-vs-bha"Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) vs BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) — Which Is Worse? | CheckIt AI." CheckIt AI, Climaverse PBC, 2026-03-05. https://getcheck.it/ingredients/yellow-5-vs-bha.<a href="https://getcheck.it/ingredients/yellow-5-vs-bha">Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) vs BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) — Which Is Worse? | CheckIt AI — CheckIt AI</a>@misc{checkit2026ingredientsyellow5vsbha,
title = {Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) vs BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) — Which Is Worse? | CheckIt AI},
author = {CheckIt AI},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Climaverse PBC},
url = {https://getcheck.it/ingredients/yellow-5-vs-bha},
note = {Retrieved 2026-03-05}
}