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Silver (E174) — What You Need to Know

Caution(6/10)Synthetic

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 Silver?

Silver (E174) is metallic silver used as a food coloring to provide a lustrous silver appearance to confectionery and cake decorations. Its use is extremely limited to decorative applications in luxury confectionery. Silver has antimicrobial properties and has been used in medicine for centuries.

What Is It Used For?

Used as a decorative food coloring for luxury confectionery, cake decorations, and sugar dragées. Provides an attractive metallic silver sheen for special occasion products.

Function: Metallic silver food coloring for luxury confectionery decoration

Regulatory & Editorial Context

📊
Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)
Not established mg/kg bw/day
🏛️
Regulatory Status
🇺🇸 USA (FDA): Not approved for food use (approved for pharmaceutical use)
🇪🇺 EU (EFSA): No ADI established — insufficient toxicological data (2016 evaluation), but negligible exposure from food decoration
⚠️ Key Concerns

EFSA could not establish an ADI due to insufficient toxicological data (2016 evaluation). However, the Panel noted that given the extremely low levels used in food decoration, exposure is negligible and unlikely to pose a safety concern. Silver has antimicrobial properties and is used in wound dressings. Excessive intake can cause argyria (permanent blue-gray skin discoloration), but this is not a realistic risk from food coloring use. Not approved by FDA for food use in the US.

Editorial context score

eNumbers.org currently assigns Silver an editorial context label of Caution with a score of 6/10. This is 0.2 points above the database average for colorings (5.8/10). Dataset reference year: 2016.

This score is not issued by EFSA, FDA, WHO or another regulator.

Commonly Found In

Sugar dragéesCake decorationsLuxury confectioneryChocolate decorations
Example brands:
Dr. Oetker (silver cake decorations)Wilton

Always check the label for E174 or 'Silver'

▶Chemical Information
Formula: Ag
Molecular Weight: 107.87 g/mol
CAS Number: 7440-22-4
INS Number: 174
Also known as: E174, Silver leaf, Argentum, INS 174

Frequently Asked Questions about Silver

Current dataset status: FDA — Not approved for food use (approved for pharmaceutical use); EFSA/EU — No ADI established — insufficient toxicological data (2016 evaluation), but negligible exposure from food decoration. Reported concerns: EFSA could not establish an ADI due to insufficient toxicological data (2016 evaluation). However, the Panel noted that given the extremely low levels used in food decoration, exposure is negligible and unlikely to pose a safety concern. Silver has antimicrobial properties and is used in wound dressings. Excessive intake can cause argyria (permanent blue-gray skin discoloration), but this is not a realistic risk from food coloring use. Not approved by FDA for food use in the US. Regulatory status and individual risk are not the same; check the primary sources and permitted conditions of use.

Quick Facts

E-Number
E174
INS Number
174
Category
Colorings
Origin
Synthetic
FDA Status
Not approved for food use (approved for pharmaceutical use)
EFSA Status
No ADI established — insufficient toxicological data (2016 evaluation), but negligible exposure from food decoration
ADI
Not established mg/kg bw/day
Dataset Review
2016
Ingredient-level Dietary Notes
Vegan: ✅ YesHalal: ✅ YesKosher: ✅ YesGluten-Free: ✅ Yes

Carriers, processing aids and product certification can change suitability. Verify the final label and certifier.

Quick Links

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional for health-related decisions.

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Other colorings in the same family

Gold (E175)Aluminium (E173)Iron Oxides and Hydroxides (E172)Calcium Carbonate (E170)