Illegal dye testing

Food dyes, often referred to as colour additives, are added to food for a variety of reasons, for example to enhance colour to make foods look fresher and more appealing to consumers.

Over the years, several foods and ingredients have been implicated in food scares leading to their immediate recall. It is therefore vital that food manufacturers remain alert to the potential use of illegal dyes in their supply chains.

Regulation for food dyes

Whether natural or artificial, food manufacturers and own label retailers must ensure that food dyes in products meet strict legal limits for their destination markets.

Campden BRI benefits

All our analyses and testing are performed in our UK laboratory, giving you peace of mind that your samples are tested within the required holding times designed to ensure reliable results.

To help you ensure the integrity of your products, we have the capability to test for a wide range of dyes in food including natural colours and Southampton six, and are continuously working to expand the range we can test for.

We offer a UKAS accredited illegal dye testing service for Sudan and other illegal azo dyes and to support you when you need quick results, these are available within our rapid turnaround service.

Azo Dye	LOQ	Azo Dye	LOQ
Sudan 1	<10 µg/kg	Fast Garnet	<10 µg/kg
Sudan 2	<10 µg/kg	Nitroaniline	<50 µg/kg
Sudan 3	<10 µg/kg	Metanil yellow	<10 µg/kg
Sudan 4	<10 µg/kg	Sudan Reg G	<10 µg/kg
Para Red	<10 µg/kg	Toluidine Red	<10 µg/kg
Rhodamine B	<10 µg/kg	Orange OT	<50 µg/kg
Orange II	<10 µg/kg	Sudan Red B	<10 µg/kg
Sudan Red 7B	<10 µg/kg	Sudan Black B	<50 µg/kg
Sugan Orange G	<10 µg/kg	Bixin	<10 µg/kg
Butter Yellow	<10 µg/kg	Norbixin	<500 µg/kg
Auramine O	<10 µg/kg