Is E160b halal?

What is E160b?

Annatto is an orange-yellow colour taken from the seed coat of the achiote tree. The seeds are washed with vegetable oil, alkaline water or approved solvents. Oil-based extracts contain mainly bixin, while water-based ones contain mainly norbixin.

Why it's marked “Generally halal”

The colour comes from a plant seed, so the pigment itself is generally treated as halal. Extraction solvents may include ethanol, but they are removed to tight limits. Liquid colourings sold to food makers can contain emulsifiers or other carriers that are not always listed. In cheese, the annatto is rarely the concern; the rennet is.

How to check the label

The colour itself needs no special check. In cheese, check the rennet and other ingredients, and look for a halal certificate if you want certainty about any carriers in the colour.

Where you'll find it

• cheese
• butter
• smoked fish
• snack foods
• desserts

Good to know

• In 2016 EFSA set two acceptable daily intakes: 6 mg bixin and 0.3 mg norbixin per kg of body weight per day.
• The seeds come from the achiote or lipstick tree, Bixa orellana, native to tropical America.
• On labels it may appear as annatto, bixin, norbixin or E160b.

Similar additives

• E100 Curcumin Generally halal
• E153 Vegetable carbon Generally halal
• E160c Paprika extract Generally halal
• E162 Beetroot red Generally halal
• E163 Anthocyanins Generally halal
• E306 Tocopherol-rich extract (vitamin E) Generally halal

See all 89 E-numbers in the halal checker

This list describes where additives usually come from. It isn't a religious ruling, and manufacturers can change their sources. Last reviewed: 14 October 2026.

Sources

1. EFSA: the safety of annatto extracts (E 160b) (2016)

Frequently asked questions