How To Check If Your Sweets or Snacks Have Industrial Dye — Simple Methods Everyone Should Know
Festivals, celebrations, and even everyday snacking often include brightly colored sweets and treats. But here’s the alarming truth: some of these vibrant colors don’t come from natural ingredients. Instead, they come from industrial dyes — chemicals meant for textiles, paint, or printing, not human consumption.
Industrial dyes can cause allergies, stomach issues, hyperactivity in children, and even long-term health risks. The good news? There are simple tests and signs that you can use at home to check whether your sweets or snacks contain artificial or industrial colors.
Here’s everything you need to know.
🍬 Why Are Industrial Dyes Used in Food?
Unscrupulous manufacturers sometimes use industrial dyes because:
They’re cheaper than safe food-grade colors
They produce brighter, more attractive shades
They help older or low-quality food look fresh
That bright red jalebi, neon yellow laddoo, or super-orange namkeen? Sometimes the color is just too good to be true.
🧪 How To Check If Your Sweets or Snacks Have Industrial Dye
These quick tests can help you identify unsafe food coloring at home.
1. The Tissue Test (Most Popular & Easy)
✔ What you need:
A piece of white tissue or paper towel.
✔ How to test:
Take a small piece of the sweet or snack.
Rub it gently on the tissue.
Observe the stain.
✔ What it means:
If a bright, unnatural color bleeds heavily onto the tissue, the food likely contains synthetic or industrial dye.
Natural food colors (like turmeric, beetroot, saffron) usually leave light, diluted stains — not neon-like streaks.
2. The Water Test
✔ What you need:
A glass of warm water.
✔ How to test:
Place a small amount of the sweet/snack into the water.
Let it sit for 3–5 minutes.
Watch the water color.
✔ What it means:
If the water turns bright red, orange, green, or blue quickly, it’s a red flag.
Natural colors dissolve slowly and look subtle, not fluorescent.
3. Check Your Fingers After Eating
If your fingers or tongue turn an intense color after touching or eating the snack, the food may contain artificial dye.
Natural colors rarely stain skin heavily — but industrial dyes do.
4. Look Closely at the Color
Here’s a simple rule:
If the color looks too bright or unnatural, it probably is.
Suspicious shades include:
Neon orange or yellow
Deep blood-red
Bright blue or green
Shiny metallic-like tones
Traditional sweets don’t require such intense coloring.
5. Smell Test
Some chemically-colored items carry a strong, artificial smell or paint-like odor.
Natural sweets rarely have harsh or chemical fragrances.
6. Read Labels (For Packaged Snacks)
If you’re buying packaged items:
Check for E-numbers like E102, E110, E122, E124 — these are synthetic colors.
If the package mentions “non-food grade color”, “art color”, or no color information at all, avoid it.
For traditional shop-bought items, ask the shopkeeper what coloring they use.
🚫 Common Industrial Dyes to Watch Out For
Some dyes known for causing health concerns include:
Rhodamine B (pink/red)
Metanil yellow (yellow)
Sudan dyes (red/orange)
Malachite green (green)
These are banned in food but still sometimes used illegally.
🛡️ How to Stay Safe
Buy sweets from trusted shops.
Avoid unnaturally bright-colored items.
Choose homemade or traditionally prepared snacks.
Prefer brands that clearly list “natural colors”.
When in doubt, do a quick tissue or water test.
✍️ Shaurya Arora
