Bye-bye black food: New York bans activated charcoal

Fans of "goth" lemonade and "widow" burgers are on notice, with a ban on black food introduced in New York.

Well, not all black food, but most of it, with one of the ingredients of the decade and the trick of chefs worldwide – activated charcoal – under the microscope.

So why has the Department of Health stamped out a favourite of Instagram food bloggers everywhere? Reportedly it falls under the umbrella of "adulterated food".

The DOH is reported to place the ban at the feet of the US Food and Drug Administration, which prohibits its use. Yet activated charcoal still remains in use across the rest of the US.

So what's the potential knock-on locally? According to many of those who championed the craze, black food is on the way out anyway.

Chef Sean Connolly says he phased out the black widow burger at Parlour Burgers last year due to decreasing demand. The black licorice bread is still on the brunch menu at Yellow in Potts Point, but chef-owner Brent Savage explains a vegetable product, not activated charcoal, is used to turn them black. Christopher The, from Black Star Pastry, hasn't had his black doughnuts on the menu for some time.

You might prefer to grab his orange cake with Persian figs. After all, orange is the new black.