Regulation of synthetic colours & other colours in India

Cause of concern-

• Traditionally, Holi, a harvest festival, was played with colours made of spring flowers which bloom this time of the year, and other natural ingredients such as leaves, tree bark, etc. 
• Over the years, colours made from chemicals flooded the market, easy on the pocket and leaving long-lasting stains.
• Today, genuinely natural gulaal or colour is made from dried flower petals, vegetable dyes, starch, leaves, etc. However, some manufacturers also use food-grade colours, which, though technically fit for consumption, are synthetic.
• Not all manufacturers display any accreditation or hallmark to prove that their product is all it claims to be. 
• While some packets do state they are certified by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), others simply say they are “lab-tested”.
• The list of ingredients most mentions flowers and plants, but if the starch or essential oil used is not mentioned, that means the list is incomplete.

FSSAI permitted food colours and flavours-

Only the FSSAI permitted food colours and flavours can be used in food items.  FSSAI-Approved Food Colours are: 

• Erythrosine- It imparts the food a red colour, 
• β-carotene: It is commonly called C.I. natural yellow 26 and belongs to the class of carotenoids. It contains all trans-β-carotene
• Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll, also known as C. I. Natural green 3, is a plant-based green pigment is used as a colouring material for foods.
• Riboflavin: It is yellow to orange-yellow and approved for the use in food products as a colourant.

Why are synthetic colours unsafe?

• Multiple studies over the years have shown that synthetic colours have chemicals that can harm your skin, respiratory tract, and eyes. 
• These chemicals also harm the environment, adding particulate matter (PM) to the air and taking years to decompose.
• A 2009 study in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, titled ‘The Holi Dermatoses: Annual Spate of Skin Diseases Following the Spring Festival in India’, says, “Some of the popular colors and their ingredients are black (lead oxide), green (copper sulfate and malachite green), silver (aluminum bromide), blue (Prussian blue), and red (mercury sulfate). 
• The dry colors, commonly known as ‘gulals’ or ‘abeer’, have two components – a colorant and a base, both of which may cause cutaneous problems. 
• Mica dust is often added as a sparkling agent to the dry powders that can lead to multiple microtraumas of skin and predisposition to infections. 
• Use of contaminated starch or wheat flour can further increase the chances of skin or ocular infections.
• Particulate matter are bascially tiny pieces of solids or liquids suspended in the air, that can get into your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, causing infections and breathing trouble.
• A 2016 study published in the National Library of Medicine, titled ‘Holi colours contain PM10 and can induce pro-inflammatory responses.