also: Copper chlorophyll · Copper chlorophyllin · E141(i) copper complexes of chlorophylls · E141(ii) copper complexes of chlorophyllins
A copper-stabilised version of the natural green plant pigment chlorophyll, used to keep food looking green during processing and storage.
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Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Beef Gelatine (Halal), Apple Juices (1.66%), Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Flavourings, Colours (E161b, E160a(iii), E163, E141, E133, E150a)
European reviewers said in 2015 that they could not finish a safety assessment because too few studies exist.
UK supermarket foods that declare E141: 78 of the 43,325 we checked (0.2%)
Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. European reviewers said in 2015 that they could not finish a safety assessment because too few studies exist. They could not rule out that the water-soluble form might damage DNA or cause cancer. It is still allowed, but its long-term safety has not been settled.
E141 starts as chlorophyll, the green colour in plants, taken from grass, alfalfa, nettles or spinach. The magnesium at the centre of each chlorophyll molecule is then swapped for copper. That makes it far more stable than natural chlorophyll (E140). There are two approved forms: E141(i), which mixes into oil, and E141(ii), which dissolves in water.
It colours food green. Ordinary chlorophyll turns khaki when it is cooked, tinned or kept on the shelf for a long time. The copper version keeps its bright green, so processed food still looks fresh.
Ice cream, dairy desserts and yoghurts, green sweets such as mints and jellies, soft drinks, tinned peas and green vegetables, mint sauce, soups and sauces. UK labels call it E141, copper complexes of chlorophylls or copper complexes of chlorophyllins.
When European reviewers looked at E141 again in 2015, they found too little evidence to reach a conclusion. Studies on how the body takes it up, spreads it and gets rid of it were missing, and so were proper long-term studies of harm and cancer. They said its safety cannot be assessed, and recommended withdrawing the daily limit rather than backing it.
Reliable data on how the body absorbs, processes and gets rid of these compounds, and on DNA damage, long-term harm, cancer, and effects on reproduction and development, were missing. Reviewers could not complete their assessment of them as food additives.
Reviewers recommended withdrawing the existing daily limit of 15mg per kg of body weight, set by the international committee, because the data behind it were not good enough.
For the water-soluble form, E141(ii), reviewers found the evidence too weak to judge whether it damages DNA. The data on cancer also contradicted itself in places. They asked for proper new studies before any conclusion could be drawn.
The data on copper chlorophyllins, E141(ii), were not good enough to judge whether they damage DNA.
Because the data on cancer were contradictory and uncertain, reviewers called for further, adequate studies before any conclusion could be reached.
The gut hardly absorbs plain chlorophyll (E140). But studies showed that at least one part of the water-soluble copper form is absorbed and carried round the body. That matters because what reaches the organs is what can do harm.
Unlike chlorophylls without copper, some parts of copper chlorophyllins were absorbed and spread through the body in animals.
Rat feeding studies tracked copper chlorophyllin into the blood and organs and concluded at least one main part is absorbed. The authors said more studies are needed.
In 2023 European reviewers looked at copper from every part of the diet, E141 included.
Reviewers lowered the daily limit for copper to 0.07mg per kg of body weight, about 5mg a day for a 70kg adult, down from 0.15mg, because copper building up in the liver is an early sign of harm.
Wilson's disease is a rare inherited condition in which the body cannot get rid of copper properly, so it builds up in the liver, brain and other organs. People with it are advised to limit copper from all foods, including copper-containing additives. About 1 in 30,000 people have it.
Wilson's disease comes from faults in the ATP7B gene that stop the liver clearing copper, so it slowly builds up. Medical advice for people with it includes cutting down on high-copper foods.
After the 2015 review, the European Commission formally asked industry to send in the missing data on harm and absorption so a full review could be finished. By the mid-2020s no finished follow-up review had been published. The additive is still allowed in the EU and UK while the data are gathered.
The European Commission called for scientific and technical data on E140(i), E140(ii), E141(i) and E141(ii), to fill the gaps the 2015 reviews found.
Daily limit. None in force. The international committee set 15mg per kg of body weight, but European reviewers withdrew it in 2015 because the data behind it were not good enough, and said its safety cannot be assessed. No new limit has been set.
People with Wilson's disease or another inherited copper disorder should limit copper from every source, food additives included. Look for E141, copper complexes of chlorophylls or copper complexes of chlorophyllins in the ingredients. All three names turn up on packs, which is why our food additive scanner matches label names as well as E-numbers.
E141 is in an unusual position. It has been approved for a long time and has never been taken off the list, yet when European reviewers formally checked the evidence in 2015 they could not finish a safety assessment. The gaps are real. There are too few studies on how the body handles these compounds over time, and whether the water-soluble form might damage DNA or cause cancer has not been answered.
The European Commission has asked industry to fill the gaps, but no finished follow-up review has been published. This is not a case where concerns were looked into and dismissed. The investigation stalled at the point of collecting data. The basic questions about harm are still open.
No. It is approved in the UK. But European reviewers said in 2015 that they could not finish a safety assessment because key data were missing, and recommended withdrawing its daily limit. It is still used while regulators wait for industry to supply the data.
European reviewers found the studies behind the original limit, 15mg per kg of body weight, were not good enough. There were too few studies on absorption, long-term harm and cancer to know whether the limit protected people, and they could not rule out that the water-soluble form might damage DNA or cause cancer.
Mints and other sweets, green jellies, ice cream and dairy desserts, green soft drinks, mint sauce, tinned peas and green vegetables, soups and sauces. Labels call it E141, copper complexes of chlorophylls or copper complexes of chlorophyllins.
Yes. The chlorophyll comes from green plants such as grass, alfalfa, nettles or spinach, and the copper is a mineral. No animal ingredients are used to make it.
Last reviewed: 9 November 2026
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