Aluminium (E173) — What You Need to Know
The score is an eNumbers.org editorial summary, not an official agency rating or medical advice. Start with the regulatory status and primary sources below.
What Is Aluminium?
Aluminium (E173) is metallic aluminium used as a food coloring to provide a silver or metallic appearance to confectionery and cake decorations. Its use in food is severely restricted to surface decoration of sugar confections only. It is one of the more controversial food colorings due to concerns about total dietary aluminium exposure.
What Is It Used For?
Used exclusively as a surface decoration for sugar-coated confectionery and cake decorations, providing a metallic silver appearance. Its food use is very limited compared to other aluminium-containing additives.
Regulatory & Editorial Context
EFSA established a Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of 1 mg aluminium/kg bw/week in 2008, noting that a significant proportion of the European population exceeds this level. Aluminium is a known neurotoxin at high doses. While metallic aluminium used as a food color (E173) contributes minimally to total aluminium exposure (most comes from food naturally, water, cookware, and medications), the overall concern about total aluminium intake is significant. EFSA's 2008 opinion noted associations between aluminium and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's), though causality is not established.
eNumbers.org currently assigns Aluminium an editorial context label of Caution with a score of 5/10. This is 0.8 points below the database average for colorings (5.8/10). Dataset reference year: 2008.
This score is not issued by EFSA, FDA, WHO or another regulator.
Commonly Found In
Always check the label for E173 or 'Aluminium'
▶Chemical Information
Primary Sources
Source review: 2026-08-08Official references relevant to this page. Check the agency record for current permitted uses, limits and jurisdiction-specific wording.
- European Commission: EU Food Additives Database ↗EU authorisations and conditions of use
- WHO / FAO JECFA: JECFA food-additives database ↗International evaluations and acceptable daily intakes
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Additive Status List ↗U.S. food-ingredient regulatory references
- European Food Safety Authority: Food additives ↗EFSA food-additive safety assessment process
Frequently Asked Questions about Aluminium
Quick Facts
- E-Number
- E173
- INS Number
- 173
- Category
- Colorings
- Origin
- Synthetic
- FDA Status
- Approved for external decoration of sugar confections only
- EFSA Status
- Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg bw/week, established 2008
- ADI
- 1 (TWI, weekly) mg/kg bw/day
- Dataset Review
- 2008
Carriers, processing aids and product certification can change suitability. Verify the final label and certifier.
Related Additives
Other colorings in the same family