CLEVELAND — Food dyes have been around for as long as processed foods, but Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration have recently announced measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.
The dyes aren’t just found in candy.
Jamila Edwards homeschools her three boys. Not only is she planning lessons she’s planning a lot of meals.
“Twice a week, I sit down and I try to map out what the meals are going to be. Of course, though, with having kids we have snacks and cereal,” Edwards said.
Like most young kids, she said they love the colorful stuff.
“Skittles, specifically, is one of their favorite,” she said.
But she tries to keep food dyes to a minimum.
“Anything that has really bright colors, for years and years these food dyes have been used,” said Lindsay Malone, registered dietician at Case Western Reserve University.
She said even a jar of pickles can have food coloring.
“We eat with our eyes first…bright colors tend to be really exciting particularly for our little people,” Malone said.
Malone said food dyes are often in the same food products that cause kids to be more active.
“Could the food dyes be playing a part in this hyperactivity, and the research shows that some kids are a little bit more sensitive,” Malone said.
The FDA is banning Red Dye No. 3 in the coming years due to evidence suggesting it can cause cancer in animals. The agency is authorizing four new natural color additives.
“So it’s challenging to tease out, you know, what part of this is from the actual food dyes themselves and what part of it is from maybe high sugar foods or really processed foods,” Malone said.
She said the studies can be difficult because it’s hard to separate the food processing from the food dye without changing the taste or look. She said the good news is there are many innovative ways to color foods but said consumers expect consistency.
“If you open a package of something and one day it’s dark red and the next day it’s pink, you’re thinking there’s something wrong with this,” Malone said.
Edwards said her rules around food dye and sweets are not hard and fast, but said she does notice a difference in her kids’ behavior.
“It’s kind of hard to pinpoint it being just one thing, because a lot of times if it has that one thing it usually has a lot of other things,” Edwards said.
She said she tries not to deprive her kids of fun colored food and still offers them fun cereal.
“I just want to make sure that, what they’re eating, it's helping them grow…helping their bodies develop in a way that is positive,” Edwards said.
