Food items like samosa chutneys, cotton candy, kebabs and more may soon change in Uttar Pradesh. The state has now issued strict guidelines cracking down on prohibited industrial dyes and the unsafe use of artificial food colours. And here’s what foodies need to know.
UP Cracks Down On The Use Of Artificial Colours In Street Food
The red and green chutneys served with samosas, chaat and momos may not look the same anymore in UP. According to The Indian Express, these chutneys, along with bright red tandoori chicken and pink cotton candy sold on the streets, have landed in trouble. Reportedly, vendors were using non-food-grade industrial dyes in chutneys to give them their red colour, as well as artificial food colours for tandoori chicken and cotton candy.
Uttar Pradesh’s Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has now issued detailed guidelines regarding where and how food colours can be used, which ones are prohibited and more. The guidelines are specially meant for street food, sweets, snacks and bakery products, where artificial colours are often used to make food look more appealing.
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Vendors Advised To Use Natural Ingredients
According to The Indian Express, the guidelines ban the use of colours in chutneys typically served with samosas, chaat, rolls and more. Street food vendors are advised to use natural ingredients like tomatoes, beetroot, coriander and mint to achieve the desired colour and flavour.
Cotton candy and ice lollies are also under scrutiny. The use of Rhodamine-B, Metanil Yellow, Butter Yellow, Malachite Green, Sudan dyes and Orange II is now prohibited. The guidelines also prohibit industrial dyes used in chicken tikka, kebabs, chaap and fried fish. Instead, vendors are advised to use Kashmiri red chilli and degi mirch to achieve that red colour.
This is a very important decision taken by UP’s food regulator, as consuming artificial colours can pose health risks and sometimes cause allergies, too. It does not mean that food colours cannot be used. Yes, they are permitted, but only within prescribed limits.
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Do you also enjoy that bright red-coloured chutney with your snacks?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Akki
