YenzoWhat is aluminium (E173)?
It is aluminium metal, silver-grey, classed as a colour.
E173Aluminium
E173 is aluminium as a powder or thin leaf, silvery grey in colour. In food it is used only as a silver surface coating, for example on cake and sweet decorations.
- Code
- E173 · INS 173
- Group
- Colour
In Vietnam✕ Not permitted in VietnamNot on Vietnam's list of permitted additives (Circular 24/2019); it may be used only in a product whose declaration is registered with the Vietnam Food Administration
Risk level on the Yenzo Scalehigh?Because it is not permitted in Vietnam; by the scientific evaluations alone: moderate
EFSA (2008) found that intake in some population groups can exceed the tolerable weekly intake (TWI); the EU therefore cut the maximum use levels and removed some of these additives (Regulation (EU) 380/2012). This is what puts it at the middle level of the Yenzo Scale.
How E173 appears on labels
IngredientsIllustrative example
Wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, colour (173), dried onion and garlic, pepper, natural colour (160a).
colour (173)colour 173E173INS 173
Questions about aluminium
Is aluminium harmful?
In 2008 EFSA assessed aluminium from all dietary sources, which include the food additive aluminium metal E 173, and established a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg aluminium/kg body weight per week. EFSA said this level is likely to be exceeded in a significant part of the European population; cereals, vegetables, beverages and certain infant formulae appear to be the main contributors.
Is E173 permitted in Vietnam?
Aluminium (INS 173) is not listed in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, the list of additives permitted in food, nor in Appendix 2B.
Can children and pregnant women have aluminium metal (E173)?
In 2008 EFSA noted that children generally eat more than adults relative to body weight and therefore have the highest potential exposure to aluminium per kg body weight. At the 97.5th percentile the estimate reached 2.3 mg/kg body weight per week for toddlers (1.5–4.5 years) in the UK, while EFSA's TWI for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight per week. This is exposure to aluminium from the whole diet, not from E 173 alone. The source says nothing specific about pregnant women. If you have a particular health condition, ask a doctor.
Other colours
E170Calcium carbonatesvery lowE171Titanium dioxidemoderateE172Iron oxides and iron hydroxidesvery lowE174SilverlowE175GoldlowE180Litholrubine BKhigh
See all colours →Updated 21 October 2026
Sources (2)
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 380/2012 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 as regards the conditions of use and the use levels for aluminium-containing food additives, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/380/oj. EFSA Journal: Safety of aluminium from dietary intake (2008): tolerable weekly intake 1 mg/kg bw.
- Thông tư 24/2019/TT-BYT (văn bản hợp nhất 09/VBHN-BYT), Phụ lục 1