Are those jalebis, sharbat and tandoor chicken safe? Your brightly coloured food has a dark side

Jalebi! Just the word is enough to give one a sugar rush. But ever thought what gives it that orange-yellow hue? No, it’s not saffron since that’s quite pricey; it’s often a food colour called Sunset Yellow FCF.

Sunset Yellow (also known as Yellow 6) is a petroleum-based azo dye, a class of synthetic dyes with nitrogen in their molecular structure that make up more than half of the commercial dyes used globally. It’s also one of eight dyes the US decided to ban last week. FDA commissioner Dr Marty Makary noted that American kids fed on candies, cereals and beverages that contain such dyes “have been increasingly living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals”.