I've long wondered about food dye... you?

Just last week my kids combined water and food coloring in our 4-compartment popsicle maker - one color per compartment.  Great, messy stuff.  Next day we froze it "to see what'll happen," then inevitably they got eaten because, well, they look like popsicles.  I let it go, but was more than a little uncomfortable with them eating food coloring.  "But, Mama, it's for food, it's supposed to be eaten."  Right.  Once again, I am uncomfortable with approved, "safe" products.  And this time, it's not just me.

Check out this recent CBS News short and the call from Center for Science in the Public Interest to ban eight food dyes in all foods because it might cause hyperactivity in kids.  Yeah, the FD&C color listed in so. very. much. of our food.  Nutritional content?  None.  Good lookin'?  Check.  Get rid of it?  Why not?  It's not exactly in the USDA Food Pyramid, mamas. 

FD&C is short for the Federal  Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, hardly a far-reaching piece of legislation.  The FDA's explanation of why we need to dye our food includes this excellent excuse: 'Color is an important property of foods that adds to our enjoyment of eating. Nature teaches is early to expect certain colors in certain foods, and our future acceptance of foods is highly dependent on meeting these expectations.'

So, if I am getting this right, nature teaches us what color food should be (yes, I like my lemons yellow, not purple), then, when we've screwed up our food growth and delivery systems so badly that nature no longer delivers, we do! Genius.  I didn't realize the FDA had a marketing department!  But seriously, mamas.  Do I believe these dyes are causing behavioral problems in kids?  I can't say for sure.  But. What I can say for sure is that if there is that potential, and the only reason to add them is to make 'em pretty, ban 'em.  It's that pesky old precautionary principle again: If an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action.

Wanna Know More?: The FDA has an excellent page with history, Q and A, and color additive approval process, among other tidbits.  And, the folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest have a terrific list of food additives with safety levels scored and described.  Definitely worth a spot in the diaper bag to read those labels.

Comments

[mamat]

I just got finished writing a research paper on this topic. The conclusion is overwhelming that food coloring causes hyper activity in the brain's frontal lobe. The majority of studies had control groups that ate food coloring for all meals and those that didn't eat any at all. Those that ate food coloring had problems in school and following expectations and failed the medical test for hyperactivity.
Plus the FDA charges a fee for every pound of food coloring the certify as safe. Conflict of interest? I think so. I wouldn't feed my child food coloring all day long but I think a little won't do any long term harm. The popsicles were probably fine.

[mom22]

I tend to think about everything in moderation typically but have a few definites about what I will and will not have in my cupboard. Pre-kids, I had your basic food coloring, in the little box with the teardrop cap. But a couple weeks ago I needed to make pink frosting so I went to explore some non-numbered food dye. $8 for one bottle of red dye made from beet extract. I was floored. But I had no choice. Once I had the two in my hands for comparison, I just couldn't go back.

[elizabeth]

When my son was on asthma meds (a variety of inhalers and prednisone) and was hyper active from the meds his doctor told me to avoid red dye in foods (when I asked for some coping actions in response to the hyper activity). I remember he mentioned twizzlers as an example. Interesting connection between hyper activity and food dye.