Still looking for that natural ingredient in the dye Red 40? Yeah, I haven’t found it either. But I have recently discovered that the Center for Science in the Public Interest has found links of specific dyes to harmful consequences.
Michael Jacobson, executive director at CSPI stated that the addition of these dyes does in no way alter the taste or flavor, but is simply for aesthetics. So I’m thinking, that’s not that bad, right? We all deserve something pretty to look at. But wait, the addition of the dyes might not add flavor, but can create allergic reactions and hyperactivity in children, while causing cancer in all other ages. Knowing this, I’ll pick something else in my life to be pretty!
The research states the dyes Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 are currently contaminated with cancer causing agents. But still in our food. Also, Red 3 is classified as a carcinogen by the FDA, but still in our food. Am I missing something here? Shouldn’t we try to avoid cancer causing agents? Statistics show that food manufacturers pump an estimated 15 million pounds of these cancer-colors into commercial products a year!
As far as a solution, the British government is in the works of banning all usage of the majority of dyes. Also, the European Union is establishing warnings, like they have on cigarettes, of cancer risks and other issues. The United States? Not so much work as of yet, but I’m sure with the CSPI pumping out this type of information, it won’t be long until someone gets the ball moving and only the natural rainbow in our meals!
Filed under: children, eating healthy, food, food labeling, food safety, health, new research, nutrition, policy
Just one more reason to eat wholesome natural foods. This post is going straight to Twitter.
But are they in amounts that do “damage”? Potatoes have glycoalkaloids, but they are still considered safe. Charred/Blackened fish and meat has nitrosamines, but they are still served at restaurants.
Hopefully that didn’t come out too mean. What I was getting at, was that with all the different things to consider, such as getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating more fruits/veggies, getting enough Calcium, wearing sunscreen but also getting enough sunlight/Vitamin D, etc., how high is this on the priority list?
I think that depends on the individual. Something tells me that if there is “red dye” added to the food that there is little of nutrition quality naturally in the product. I’d love to hear examples. The only thing that comes to mind is marachino cherries in a fruit cocktail cup. But just check the aisles. Lots of junky sweets with no real food as ingredients but clever use of “food” names — “fruit snacks” “yogurt” things…