Will food dyes finally fade?

That comes as no surprise to those parents who have figured out that dyes, and in some cases other ingredients, can trigger hyperactivity or otherwise impair children’s behavior. That effect of dyes was first recognized in the 1970s, when Dr. Ben Feingold, a San Francisco allergist, reported that some of his patients improved when they avoided dyes and certain other additives and foods. Numerous controlled studies conducted over the next three decades proved that some children’s behavior is worsened by artificial dyes, but the FDA did nothing to discourage their use, and food manufacturers used them more and more.

A pivotal 2004 meta-analysis of the medical literature concluded that artificial dyes affect children’s behavior, and two subsequent studies funded by the British government found that a cocktail of dyes (along with the preservative sodium benzoate) adversely affected kids’ behavior. Uniquely, those British studies tested children in the general population, not children whose parents suspected they were sensitive to dyes. As a result, the British government has been successfully pressuring manufacturers to switch to safer natural colorings.

That’s why a McDonald’s strawberry sundae sold in Britain is colored with actual strawberries, while in the United States, the color is jacked up with Red 40. Consumers should demand to know why American companies are treating their European customers better than their American ones.

Judging from FDA data, Americans are consuming about five times as much food dyes as we were in the 1950s and twice as much as in the 1970s. Dyes are used in countless foods, often to make junk foods more appealing to young children or to simulate the colors of fruits or vegetables.

The blue bits in Aunt Jemima Blueberry Waffles are blue thanks to Red 40 and Blue 2, not real blueberries, for instance. And Kraft’s perverted interpretation of “Guacamole Dip” gets its greenish color not from avocados (there are almost none) but from Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1. Even pickles and salad dressing are sometimes dyed.

The food industry relies so heavily on food dyes that even foods that aren’t particularly colorful have them. Au Gratin Potatoes are described by Betty Crocker are “100% Real,” yet are colored with Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Even some matzoh balls are dyed!

Dyes are used most commonly in foods marketed to children. General Mills’ Fruit Roll-ups and Fruit-by-the-Foot flavored snacks get their fruity colors from Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40, and Blue 1. So do that company’s Fruity Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Trix, as do Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Apple Jacks and Post’s Fruity Pebbles. Many parents have been blaming the sugar in those foods for their kids’ behavior problems when the dyes probably were the culprit.

The FDA advisory committee disserved parents and children when it narrowly (the vote was 8 to 6) failed to recommend warning notices on packages to alert parents to the fact that some children have bad reactions to dyed foods. And that’s a shame. The European Union recently required warning labels for most artificially dyed foods—a powerful incentive for manufacturers to switch to safer, natural colorings.

A few forward-looking companies, including Frito-Lay, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods are ahead of the curve on this issue. Let’s hope that the rest of the industry joins that short parade.

The FDA, of course, is not bound by its advisory committee’s advice. The agency agrees that dyes affect some children, and so it should require a warning notice (“Warning: This food contains dyes that promote hyperactivity in some children.”). It also should urge companies to protect their customers’ health by voluntarily reformulating their products with safe, natural colorings. 

Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., is executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.