Say goodbye to petroleum-based synthetic dyes.
As pledged and promised, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is set to announce on Tuesday that the FDA will be removing artificial dyes from American foods.
The use of artificial colors in foods and cosmetics goes back over a century, and they’ve been considered largely controversial for most of that period.
In fact, the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 banned the use of poisonous and dangerous colors. Prior to that legislation, food manufacturers were known to color food with lead, arsenic, and mercury. They obviously didn’t know they were toxic at the time, but it took government to step in to outright block and regulate the spectrum of artificial additives.
During FDR’s presidency, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 added additional layers of oversight and protection. Prior to its passage, women were being blinded by toxic eyelash dye.
Readers of a certain age might remember Halloween in 1950 when trick or treaters were sickened by an orange candy that contained a toxic dye. It wasn’t the last time. Even back then, critics were warning about cancer-causing agents and generally unhealthy colors that impacted children’s behavior.
Sound familiar?
Back in 2021, a report out of California found that synthetic food dyes can cause disruptive and distractive behavior.
“The body of evidence from human studies indicates that synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in children, and that children vary in their sensitivity to synthetic food dyes,” researchers concluded.
That some children are sensitive to the dyes and others are not is a reality that has inevitably fanned and prolonged the use of the artificial substances. It worries many moms and dads a lot – and others not at all.
Food manufacturers have defended the use of artificial dyes as a necessity to make food more attractive and appealing. Critics suggest this marketing tactic is effective in not only convincing consumers to buy and consume the foods – but eat more than they otherwise should and would if the goods were less attractive.
Currently, there are several artificial food dyes banned in Europe but legal in the United States, including Red Dye 3 (Erythrosine), Red 40 (Allura Red), Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3. This is despite the fact that studies have linked them to neurological and neurobehavioral abnormalities in children.
According to reports, Secretary Kennedy is expected to first tackle eight artificial dyes in cereals, sports drinks, and a wide variety of other foods.
Speaking with the New York Times, Martin Makary, who serves as the FDA commissioner, said the agency is driven by a strong desire to protect children.
“My feeling is, why gamble with the health of our children?” he said. “We have some data points. We have some observational studies. We believe that these artificial food chemicals are implicated. My feeling is, ‘Why not err on the side of safety?’ Why say, ‘Let’s just take the risk because the vibrance of the colors is so appealing, it’s worth it.’”
Parents have a hard enough time navigating a culture that is increasingly hostile to children of nearly every age and stage. Moms and dads shouldn’t have to go the market with a magnifying glass to examine ingredients in food or drop them off at school or youth group and wonder if they’re consuming toxic and harmful snacks.
The Lord has provided us with plenty of natural food and food sources. We read in Genesis, “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food’” (1:29-30).
We’re a long way from the Garden of Eden, in more ways than one. But we can and should still embrace and use responsibly the food He continues to provide.
Image from Getty.
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