E numbers in dog food: What are they? Are they natural? Are they safe?

Through appropriate technical processing (such as heating or extraction), these colours can then be used in food applications on an industrial scale.

The non-artificial colours we use have E numbers simply as a legal way of identifying and classifying them. E numbers cover a broad range of substances including food colourants, preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents, for example. Many components of natural foods have E numbers such as vitamin C which is called E300, vitamin D (E 671), lactic acid (E270) and Citric acid which is called E330, where the number is a synonym for the chemical component.

The ‘E’ stands for Europe. These additives have undergone rigorous safety tests and are permitted for use in the EU.