Call for ban on food dyes linked to behavioral problems

Artificial dyes must be banned from use in food because they are linked to serious behavioral and attention-deficit problems in children, according to a consumer advocacy group that has launched a campaign to eliminate several food additives. Synthetic food dyes are used to enhance the color of products and are ubiquitous in many packaged and processed foods, particularly in candy and sugary cereals geared toward children. But there has been a battle brewing between the food industry and critics who say the synthetic colorings pose a health risk and should be phased out by the federal government. That debate has intensified in recent months after medical journal The Lancet published a study last fall that uncovered a link between additives and hyperactivity in children. Researchers found children with no history of serious behavioral problems showed signs of hyperactivity after drinking fruit juice that contained various levels of additives over a period of several weeks. Now, advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest is petitioning the US Food and Drug Administration to phase out eight artificial food dyes it says pose a serious health risk to children. "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," Michael Jacobson, the association's executive director, said in a statement. Nearly all of the dyes singled out by the organization as dangerous are added to a wide range of products, including concentrated fruit juice, ketchup, cheddar cheese and liqueurs. But consumers are at a disadvantage when it comes to knowing whether food contains potentially harmful dyes. That's because companies are not required to list which dyes they use in their products -- they can simply say the product contains "colors." "Any food company can add them [artificial dyes] if they want and essentially conceal the identity of that dye and [consumers] suffer the consequences of it, particularly children," said Bill Jeffery, national coordinator of the Canadian arm of the public interest group. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on June 3 that while food companies are free to disclose which colors they use, they are not obligated to release those details to consumers. But new evidence, including The Lancet study, has prompted Health Canada to review its regulations for food additives. The department "has begun work to change labeling requirements to require that any food colors are declared in the ingredient list by [their] specific common name," spokesman Paul Duchesne said. However, the association says that simply listing the artificial food dyes isn't enough. Synthetic colorings should be eliminated from food products because growing evidence suggests they may pose a health risk, the group said. In addition, the dyes are a needless additive and many safe alternatives already exist, the public interest group said. "The continued use of these unnecessary artificial dyes at a time of heightened concern about hyperactivity in children is the secret shame of the food industry and the regulators who watch over it," Jacobson said. The organization singled out eight widely used synthetic dyes as candidates for eliminating from food: yellow 5, or tartrazine; red 40, also known as allura red; blue 1, or brilliant blue; blue 2, or indigotine; green 3, or fast green; red 3, or erythrosine; yellow 6, or sunset yellow; and orange B. Many of the dyes are derived from coal tar and have been linked to health problems in past scientific studies. Many popular snacks, including Smarties, Froot Loops, Cheetos, Doritos and Reese's Pieces, either list "color" or "colors" in their ingredient lists, but don't disclose whether they use synthetic dyes or which ones they use. The list on a package of Skittles indicates the product's colors include tartrazine, which is derived from coal tar.