Artificial food dyes are in a huge percentage of processed food in the US. Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 show up in breakfast cereals, candy, sports drinks, flavored chips, packaged baked goods, certain medications, and vitamins. They serve no nutritional purpose: they exist entirely to make food look more appealing and to standardize color across batches.
In 2007, a landmark study funded by the UK Food Standards Agency and published in The Lancet found a statistically significant association between consumption of mixtures of artificial food colors and increased hyperactivity in children. The effect was observed in both children diagnosed with ADHD and in the general population of children without a diagnosis.
The European Food Safety Authority required that any food containing the specific six dyes studied must carry a warning label stating that the food "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." Many food manufacturers reformulated their European products to remove these dyes rather than put warning labels on them. The US FDA reviewed the same evidence and concluded it was "not persuasive" enough to require a label or reformulation.
How to Avoid Them
- Read ingredient labels: dyes are always named specifically (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, etc.)
- Choose products with natural colorings like beet juice extract, turmeric, spirulina, or paprika
- Annie's brand products consistently avoid artificial dyes
- Trader Joe's store brand products are largely free of artificial dyes
- Whole Foods 365 products: brand standards prohibit artificial dyes
References
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