Food Colouring Adulteration: Health Risks and Food Safety Regulations

29 Oct 2026

Tags: Social Justice   Social Services   Health sector issues

Source: The Indian Express

Uttar Pradesh Steps Up Food Safety Checks

• Recent development: The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) issued guidelines ahead of Diwali after authorities detected non-food-grade industrial dyes in chutney. The guidelines specify where food colours are permitted, prohibit industrial dyes and require vendors to measure and account for the colours they purchase.
• Foods under scrutiny: Chutneys served with samosas, chaat, momos and rolls; cotton candy; ice lollies; sweets; tandoori chicken; kebabs; chaap and fried fish are among the products being scrutinised for illegal colouring.
• Natural alternatives: Vendors have been advised to use tomatoes, beetroot, coriander and mint for chutneys, and Kashmiri red chilli and degi mirch for the colour and flavour of tandoori preparations.

 

Prohibited Industrial Dyes and Their Uses

• Rhodamine B: An industrial dye used in textile and paper colouring, it is prohibited in food. Its illegal use has been reported among roadside vendors, sometimes due to a lack of awareness about its health risks. Long-term exposure may cause liver dysfunction and potentially increase cancer risk, while high exposure over a short period can cause acute poisoning.
• Other prohibited dyes: Metanil Yellow, Butter Yellow, Malachite Green, Auramine, Orange II and Sudan dyes may be illegally used to intensify the colour of cotton candy, chutneys, sweets, turmeric, pulses, chilli powder and other spices. Sudan dyes have also been associated with adulteration of edible oils and packaged sauces.
• Health risks: The effects vary by substance and exposure level. Certain synthetic colours, including Tartrazine (yellow) and Carmoisine (red), have been associated with hypersensitivity reactions, such as hives, swelling and, in some cases, breathing difficulties.

 

Legal Framework for Food Colours

• Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: Provides for penalties for substandard, misbranded and unsafe food. Depending on the nature of the violation, penalties may include fines of up to ₹3 lakh or imprisonment of up to six months, as specified in the article.
• Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011: Artificial food colours may be used in sweets, cakes and other foods only when the colour is specifically permitted for that food category and used within the prescribed limits.
• Category-specific restrictions: Permission to use a colour in cakes does not automatically permit its use in bread, chutney or other products. Safety assessments consider the food category, quantity consumed, processing conditions and possible formation of harmful by-products.
• Natural colours: Natural food colours are also subject to category-specific conditions and permitted-use requirements.

 

Regulatory and Public Health Significance

• Food-grade versus industrial dyes: Food-grade colours are authorised for specified food applications under applicable regulations. Industrial dyes must not be substituted for them, even when they produce a similar appearance.
• Need for stronger enforcement: Food safety authorities must strengthen inspections, trace the sources of adulterants, monitor vendors and suppliers, and improve awareness regarding permitted colours and their safe use.