flickr photo: matski_98

1. It has many names – Tartrazine, E102 , FD&C Yellow 5, C.I. 19140, or just plain Yellow 5.

2. Yellow #5 is a synthetic, water soluble, lemon yellow dye used as a food coloring.

3. A partial list of foods including Yellow #5: cotton candy, soft drinks, energy drinks, instant puddings, flavored tortilla chips such as Doritos, breakfast cereals, cake mixes, pastries, pudding powders, soups, sauces, flavored rices such as paella,  powdered drink mixes, sports drinks, ice cream, ice pops, candy, chewing gum, marzipan, jam, jelly, gelatins, marmalade, mustard, horseradish, yogurt, noodles, and pickles.

4. Yellow #5 is one of the cheapest synthetic colors available, and sold all over the world.

5. The more expensive, natural food colorings are turmeric (a spice) , annatto (tropical tree derivative), betacarotene (think carrots’ orange pigments), or malt color.

6. Various levels of allergic reactions and intolerance reactions have been caused by this food coloring, especially among asthmatics and people with aspirin intolerance.

7. Some studies have linked various immunologic responses to tartrazine ingestion, including anxiety, migraines, clinical depression, blurred vision, itching, general weakness, heatwaves, feeling of suffocation, purple skin patches, and sleep disturbance.

8. Despite mounting evidence, The FDA considers Yellow #5 a safe food coloring. Let it be noted that, in the past, the FDA banned the use of other food colorings. This, after research showed them to be carcinogenic.

9. A major study published in the UK in 2007 linked food colorings with hyperactive behavior in children. As a result, the FSA (UK’s FDA) has called manufacturers to voluntarily ban food colorings in their products. Most companies are obliging,  due to consumer pressure and FSA encouragement.

10. Consumer groups in the US, especially the Center for Science in the Public Interest, have called food colorings, and especially Yellow #5, the “Secret Shame” of Food Industry and Regulators. A ban from all foods is their request.

11. Yellow #5 may also be also found in vitamins, antacids, soaps, cosmetics, shampoos, moisturizers, and crayons.

12. Organic foods may also contain Yellow #5 or other food colorings, because the USDA considers a processed food organic if it as at least 95% organic by weight. Since food colorings are used in tiny amounts, a bran muffin with a touch of artificial yellow is still considered organic.

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In a brave move, state legislators in Maryland have started a process to ban and/or label several artificial food colorings linked with ADHD and hyperactivity in children:

Two bills are scheduled to be considered at hearings in Annapolis on Wednesday, including one that would require food manufacturers to add a warning label prior to an outright ban in 2012, and another that would prohibit the use of the colors in school foods.

If the legislation is approved, food products containing the colors would be required to carry the label: “Warning: The color additives in this food may cause hyperactivity and behavior problems in some children” effective from January 1, 2010, and be phased out by December 31, 2011.

The colors affected are Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, and Red 3.

Read the article…

The ban / labeling acts are considered after studies have shown the direct relationship between these food colors and behavioral problems in children.

What you need to know:

Food coloring provides little or no nutritional benefits, but many marketing ones. It makes food look better, fresher, tastier, and ultimately may sway a consumer to make a purchasing decision.

Some food colorings are made from natural ingredients, such as paprika, turmeric, and saffron. However, these are expensive, and sometimes interact with a food.

Enter chemistry. Artificial food colorings have been around for decades, and so, it seems have the problems they created. They are cheap and effective in achieving their marketing goals. In the late 60’s and early 70’s many artificial food coloring such as  Red #1 and Yellow #3 were banned due to cancer and heart disease risks. In the mid 70’s research into behavioral consequences of usage pointed to disturbing data.

The current list of primary colors approved by the FDA includes:

Blue #1 – Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (Blue shade)
Blue #2 – Indigotine, E132 (Dark Blue shade)
Red # 3 – Erythrosine, E127 (Pink shade)
Green # 3 – Fast Green FCF, E143 (Bluish green shade) – rarely used
Yellow #5 – Tartrazine, E102 (Yellow shade) – very widely used, especially in candy and junk food
Yellow  #6 – Sunset Yellow FCF, E110 (Orange shade) – very widely used in beverages and candy
Red #40 – Allura Red AC, E129 (Red shade) – most widely used, especially in junk food

Some of these food colorings are banned in Europe. Blue #1, is banned in Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Norway and Switzerland. Green #3 was banned after it was linked to bladder tumors.

What to do at the supermarket:

Artificial Food colorings appear in THOUSANDS OF FOODS.

Examine the ingredient label carefully. The food coloring will appear towards the end of the list, as only a tiny amount is required to create the required effect. Try to avoid foods with colorings that are questionable:

Remember, the less processed a food product is, the less chances of finding artificial anything in it.

sources: FDA, CSPI, Wikipedia

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Image via Wikipedia

Kids love bright colors. In food as well. Yellow 5, Blue 2, Green 3 and others can be found in snacks, candies, and in a surprising array of processed foods including breakfast cereals and luncheon meats. Parents have long been suspicious of these artificial additives, and now studies show a possible link between food dyes and hyperactivity. The LA Times reports:

Earlier this year, the UK’s Food Standards Agency, the British regulatory counterpart to our Food and Drug Administration, asked food makers to voluntarily recall six artificial colors in food by 2009, a step many food companies have completed.

And in July, the European Parliament voted to add warning labels with the phrase “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children” to products with the same six synthetic red and yellow dyes, prompting many large food makers such as Nestle to reformulate their products rather than risk a drop-off in sales.

These actions were spurred by a study published in September 2007 in the medical journal the Lancet supporting what some parents and scientists had suspected for decades — that food dyes are linked to hyperactivity, even in kids who don’t normally exhibit this behavior.

“The position in relation to artificial food colors is analogous to the state of knowledge about lead and IQ that was being evaluated in the early 1980s,” says the study’s lead author, Jim Stevenson, psychology professor at the University of Southampton, in a March letter to the UK Food Standards Agency, urging action.

Read full article..

What you need to know:

The FDA considers food colorings safe. The exception, Yellow 5 (tartrazine) is a known allergen. Food colorings need to appear in the ingredient list, but no additional warning has to appear on the nutrition label or packaging.

What to do at the supermarket:

Look at a product’s the ingredient list. Read the list to the end, as items are ordered from high to low percentage in the product. Artificial coloring is used in tiny amounts. Try to choose products without.

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