The 8 most common artificial food dyes and what they can do to your health

Added March 22, 2011, Under: Children's Health, Diets, Health, Nutrition

There is a call this week to inform the public about the dangers of artifical colors and to persuade the FDA to review their thinking on this as, in spite of numerous studies linking artificial coloring to ADHD in children (as well as many other health problems), the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) have not acted.

The European Union has regulations in place so that if food dyes are used in food, the consumers are informed of the health risks. As a result Kellogg, Kraft, McDonald’s and other American companies that do business in Europe have changed to safe, natural colorings for the European market.

However, they are still using the same harmful and synthetic petrochemicals in the artificial food colorings added to food for the American public whether it be cereals or cough medicines and everything else in between.

They can do so because there is no legislation stopping them.

Here is a list of 8 of the most common artificial food dyes used today in the US courtesy of Food Freedom Network:

1. Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue) – an unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice. Used in baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs and other products.

2. Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine) – causes a statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. Used in colored beverages, candies, pet food and other food and drugs.

3. Citrus Red #2 – it is toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. Used in Skins of Florida oranges.

4. Green #3 (Fast Green) – caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. Used in drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks and externally applied cosmetics.

5. Red #3 (Erythrosine) – recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. Used in sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods and candies.

6. Red #40 (Allura Red) – this is the most-widely used and consumed dye. It may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. It also causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in some consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. Used in beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs and cosmetics.

7. Yellow #5 (Tartrazine) – this causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. Used in pet foods, numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts and many other foods as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

8. Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow) – caused adrenal tumors in animals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. Used in color bakery goods, cereals, beverages, dessert powders, candies, gelatin deserts, sausage, cosmetics and drugs.

It is almost hard to imagine but some artificial food colors are made from petroleum with added antifreeze to hold the color. Obviously we are not designed to eat petrochemicals and other toxins and every time we consume these ingredients, we put our health at risk.

The food companies who are adding these artificial food coloring to their products are doing it to make it appear more attractive to the consumer – it does not matter to them that our health will be affected. In fact we have come to expect foods to be certain colors, those they are in nature. Much of our acceptance of foods is dependent on foods being the colors we expect and if they were a different color than you expected, you would probably think there was something wrong with them.

And so, for uniformity as well as appeal, food colorings are used. The problem lies in the type of coloring used.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends: “Because colorings are used almost solely in foods of low nutritional value (candy, soda pop, gelatin desserts and others), you should simply avoid all artificially colored foods.”

In addition, you can easily recognize an artificial color on a food label. It will say either “artificial color” or specifically “FD&C [color] No. [number].”

You might be also be interested to read Debra Lynn Dadd’s list of colors from natural sources that are used to color a wide variety of foods.

Annatto extract–yellow color from a tropical tree

Dehydrated beets (beet powder)–red-pink color from beets 

Canthaxanthin–pink color from mushrooms, crustaceans, trout and salmon, and tropical birds

Caramel–brown color made from burnt sugar

Carotene–yellow color from carrots

Carmine extract (aka Cochineal)–red color derived from a species of beetle that feeds on cacti

Sodium copper chlorophyllin–green color from plants and copper

Toasted partially defatted cooked cottonseed flour–yellow coloring from cottonseed (may cause allergic reactions)

Ferrous gluconate (approved only for ripe olives)–yellowish-grey color from iron

Ferrous lactate (approved only for ripe olives)–green color from iron

Grape color extract (approved only for nonbeverage food)–purple color from the fruit

Grape skin extract (approved only for still carbonated drinks & ades; beverage bases; alcoholic beverages) )–purple color from the fruit

Synthetic iron oxide (approved only for sausage casings)–red-brown-black-yellow color from combining iron with oxygen

Fruit juice–various colors from various fruits

Vegetable juice–various colors from various vegetables

Carrot oil–yellow color from carrots

Paprika–orange color from the spice

Paprika oleoresin–extracted from the spice using toxic solvents

Riboflavin–yellow to orange color from plants

Saffron –yellow color from the spice

Titanium dioxide–white pigment from the mineral

Turmeric–yellow color from the spice

Turmeric oleoresin–extracted from the spice using toxic solvents

She also suggests that while most home cooks don’t use food colors in everyday cooking, they might need some for festive occasions in baking and lists some natural colors you can find in your kitchen:

Yellow – a few threads of saffron
Green – use spinach juice
Pink – cherry, raspberry or beet juice
Blue – blueberry juice

It is also possible to buy plant-based natural food colors for a natural and healthy food coloring. For more information on these go to http://www.dld123.com/about/about.php?id=A12