Keighley chefs are to be encouraged to avoid putting excessive food colours in their curries.

The campaign is to be launched by Bradford council following a recommendation put to its public health and protection sub-committee last month.

Members also agreed to raise public awareness of the dangers of using too many artificial colours in food. Discussions are to take place with food businesses with a view to promoting traditional curries prepared with natural ingredients.

But Mohammed Zamir, manager of the Balti House in Russell Street, Keighley, warns that colours are sometimes used because natural herbs and spices are too expensive. "We don't use colours because we prefer to put herbal spices into our food," he adds. "Colours are not only used in food but manufacturing too, so people must be careful when assessing the use of colours in curries."

Mohammed Ayub, joint owner of Shimla Spice Restaurant in South Street, Keighley, is against the use of colours in curries. He says: "We don't use any artificial colours in the preparation of our food because it's not how it's supposed to be eaten. Asians do not eat food with colours in it, especially pilau rice which is supposed to be brown. The colours just make it look nice. They don't alter the taste of the food.

"But most restaurants that I have worked in use colours and many of our customers asked us why we didn't use them when we first opened. They thought our food was supposed to be colourful but it's not."

The move follows the results of a survey carried out by undercover trading standards officers checking for excessive colourants in curries in the Yorkshire and Humber region. More than a quarter of the samples tested were found to contain more than the permitted maximum of colours.

Food colours are used in Asian recipes to enhance the natural colour of the cooked meat to make it look more appetising. The colours are said to have no nutritional or important functional role in the product and are not used in traditional Asian cooking.

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