Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to switch to safer colorings.
Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched to kids. They are also in many multivitamins, even ones for kids.
The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children, or both. Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral problems that this is truly worth the risk?
The center's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to ban the dyes outright.
I've felt we need warning labels and I did a post about putting warning labels on vitamins with artificial food dyes! From that post I wrote "Here's what was also listed on almost every one of them (vitamins.) Some or all of these artificial colors:
yellow #6 Lake, yellow #5 Lake blue #1 Lake #2 Lake
Artificial food and supplement colorings are made of coal tar and petrochemicals. Who'd knowingly eat that? Among other things, artificial food colorings are shown to increase hyperactivity and decrease attention span in a wide range of children..."
The colorings the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6. More about the group here.
If these chemicals are being used and have no nutritional value what's the problem with just not using them? The food might not be as pretty but is that reason enough to keep putting people's health in harm?
If your vitamin has artificial food color, think about trading for this one.
Beyond Organic Healthy Food
When will the government wake up and start taking care of the people instead of backing drugs and anything that makes money. It's disgusting and sad that our kids are last on the list.
ReplyDeleteJan
Jan you are right, our food is in bad shape. We can't rely on government to change it, we have to change the way we chose and eat food.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Robin
Thanks for the information on banning some food coloring chemicals.
ReplyDeleteWe recently wrote an article on health related warning labels Brain Blogger. It seems that all kinds of health warnings are becoming a popular trend.Does inactivity as the suspicious cause of certain health conditions warrant inactivity warning labels?
We would like to read your comments on our article. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kelly
for some people money means more than peoples health. thats a shame.
ReplyDeletewayne