From medieval burnings to modern manufacturing: A brief history of food colours in Europe By Niamh Michail 22-Feb-2016 - Last updated on 22-Feb-2016 at 14:28 GMT Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email to a friend © iStock From ancient flowers to modern colouring foods, toxic Victorian treats to naturally colourful sweets, FoodNavigator takes a look at the history of food colours in Europe and the legislation that accompanies them. A brief history of food colours in Europe Why do we colour our food? The first food colours - and the first colour crackdowns Toxic treats Synthetic surprise The birth of the E number The infamous 'Southampton Six' Clean label confusion - what's natural anyway? Colouring foods: A new type of natural Prev 1 2 3 4 5 … 9 Next