Banned or restricted substance
Are Sudan dyes banned in India?
Last checked 1 October 2026
Sudan I, II, III and IV are not permitted food colours in India under the Food Additives Regulations and are prohibited in all foods as of 1 Oct 2026; they are used illegally to redden chilli and curry powders.
- Classification
- Prohibited (Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006)
- Decided by
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Reference
- FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011: regulation 3.1.1 positive list read with Appendix A, and colour standards in regulation 3.2
- Evidence
- Government document
- Latest action
- 1 October 2026
- Last checked
- 1 October 2026
Photo: Spices at Anjuna beach flea market, Goa.jpg by unknown (CC BY 2.0). All photo credits.
Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 3: Substances added to food (Version 3, 07.05.2025)
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- What they are
- Fat-soluble azo dyes made for solvents, waxes and shoe polish
- Status
- Not on the permitted list, prohibited in all foods
- Where they are found
- Red chilli powder, curry powders, palm oil, sauces
- Health concern
- Genotoxic in vitro; treated as a carcinogen-of-concern by EU and other regulators
- Permitted reds
- Ponceau 4R (INS 124), Carmoisine (INS 122), Erythrosine (INS 127)
The Sudan dyes are a family of synthetic azo colourants: Sudan I, II, III and IV, made for solvents, waxes, plastics and polish. They are fat-soluble, which makes them effective at colouring oily foods, and cheap, which makes them attractive to adulterators. None is permitted in food in India; the Food Additives Regulations list the synthetic colours that may be used, and under the Food Additives Regulations anything absent from that list is prohibited in all foods.
The dyes came to international attention in 2003 to 2005 when European regulators found Sudan I in chilli powder and in hundreds of products made with it, triggering one of the largest recalls in EU history. Indian spice exports have been tested for Sudan dyes ever since, and the Spices Board screens consignments for them. Domestically they turn up in loose red chilli powder, curry blends and, occasionally, palm oil sold as 'red' oil.
Detection requires laboratory analysis, and state laboratories include Sudan dyes in spice testing. The permitted red colours in India are ponceau 4R, carmoisine and erythrosine, each restricted to specified foods; chilli powder is not among the foods in which any synthetic colour is allowed.
What this means for you
Only eight synthetic colours are permitted
Anything else on a label, or any street food with an unnatural colour, is a red flag. Permitted colours must be declared by name or INS number.
Street food is where these turn up
Enforcement cases usually involve loose sweets, sauces, chilli powder and snacks, not packaged goods from licensed manufacturers.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Sources
Government documents
- Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 3: Substances added to food (Version 3, 07.05.2025)RegulatorFood Safety and Standards Authority of India · 7 May 2025
News reports
- News