Lynn'll fix it - Curry alert

The dangerous food colourings lurking in the nation's favourite meal

A shock new food survey has found that a staggering 57% of Surrey's Indian restaurants are putting illegal - and potentially dangerous - levels of artificial colour into their curries.

Tests on chicken tikka massala - the nation's No 1 favourite meal - were ordered by Surrey County Council's Trading Standards service after initial research suggested a worrying number of establishments were flouting the law across the county.

The food colourings have been linked to hyperactivity in children, allergies, asthma, migraines - and even cancer.

All three chemicals are banned in various other countries around the world. But the survey - carried out as part of a brand new Trading Standards initiative, the Surrey Curry Club - found that the majority of Surrey restaurants are continuing to serve vivid bright red meals to customers in spite of previous education campaigns.

The offending colours are the chemicals Tartrazine (E102), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) and Ponceau 4R (124).

Tartrazine, a dye made from coal tar, is also found in products such as fruit squash and sauces.

Also found in some cakes, biscuits, soft drinks and fish batter and chips, it is used by some egg manufacturers who feed it to chickens to ensure the yolks are yellow.

Experts believe it is particularly hazardous for people allergic to aspirin and asthmatics; other side effects can include blurred vision and purple skin patches. It is banned in Norway, Finland and Austria.

Sunset Yellow, also found in orange squash, sweets and sauces, is also banned in Norway and Finland. Scientists have linked it with chromosome damage and kidney tumours as well as abdominal pain, hives, nausea and vomiting.

Ponceau 4R, a red synthetic coal tar, is found in dessert toppings, jelly, soups and sauces, causes cancer in animals. It is banned in Norway and the United States.

The Hyperactive Children's Support Group believes that all three of these artificial colours are linked to hyperactive behavioural disorders in children, and recommend that children do not eat foods containing them.

Reza Mohammad, from C4's A Place In France: An Indian Summer, says artificial colourings are banned in his London resturant, Star of India. He says natural alternatives such as paprika and chillies should be used instead.

Trading Standards survey results

Trading Standards collected samples anonymously from 102 restaurants across the county and sent them off to an independent laboratory to be analysed.

Out of that total, 58 were found to be breaking the law and 44 passed. The restaurants were randomly picked from across the county and represent approximately half the total number of places serving Indian meals in Surrey.

Some areas came out better than others - 11 restaurants in Epsom & Ewell passed with flying colours, while Guildford, Surrey Heath, and Reigate & Banstead could only muster one in each area.

One restaurant in Woking was found to have a shocking four times the legal limit of colouring in its chicken tikka masala. Now Surrey Trading Standards plan to test the remaining restaurants in the county as part of an ongoing public education programme.

Eat less brightly coloured dishes

Enam Ali, editor of Spice Business magazine, said: "We know customers sometimes pick where they want to eat because they like the vivid colour of the curries.

"They do not realise that they can eat the same product, which tastes just as good but it just looks a bit paler because it uses natural ingredients like beetroot to achieve the colour. "