WHAT’S THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD DYES?
Also known as ARTIFICIAL COLORINGS.
Many foods we eat today, here in the USA,  contain (have) lots of dyes (food colorings) that are made from artificial sources or chemicals. Today many of these chemicals are added to foods that our families eat. They aren’t healthy. Let me tell you why.

Most artificial food dyes (in the USA) are made from petroleum.  The same petroleum used in gasoline and tar! Numerous studies have linked artificial food coloring to behavioral problems such as, ADHD, hyperactivity, and mood swings.  Other problems associated with food dyes are obesity, asthma, diabetes, and allergic reactions.


The most common artificial food dyes (red no. 40, yellow no. 5, and yellow no. 6), which contain known carcinogens.  A carcinogen is a known cancer-causing substance.  Yellow no. 5 contains benzene, which is a known carcinogen.  Benzene is still allowed (used) in artificial food dyes, but it has been banned from use in gasoline.

Many of the same controversial dyes used in the United States require a warning label in Europe and Canada.  In Europe Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain cereal bars are colored with Beetroot, Annatto, and Paprika (natural food colorings), but here in the US they are colored with Red no. 40, Yellow no. 6, and Blue no. 1.  And although there have been decades of on-going studies looking into the potential health risks associated with these artificial food dyes, as well as thousands of petitions signed asking the US Food and Drug Administration to remove them, they are still there. Our government has done nothing. As a matter of fact, food dyes are present in record numbers.  

 

In 2009, just over 16 million pounds of food dyes were added to our food. And in July 2010 the Canadian Centre for Science sent a letter to our government informing them of the dangers of dyes and/or food colorings. Here is what they said, and I quote:

“Re: Need for banning risky, cosmetic food dyes to help reduce the prevalence cancer, allergic reactions, and (in children) of hyperactivity. In the last sentence of the 1st par. They stated:
“We have reiterated to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration our call for a ban on most dyes.”

I'd like to share a recent letter/warning by Citizens for health;

Attention: Everyone Who Eats

April 11 is Read Your Labels Day - 

Mark Your Calendars Now!

February 24, 2015
Dear Citizen for Health,
This April 11th marks the third annual Read Your Labels Day (#RYLD), sponsored by Citizens for Health - a day to share the "4-1-1" about what manufacturers really put into their products.
It's a day when we hope everyone will be a little more thoughtful, much more vigilant, and recognize the risks involved in eating "in the dark".
By that, we mean purchasing and consuming processed foods without reading ingredients and nutritional information on product labels. Ignoring ingredients can be very hazardous to your health.
If you have any doubts about the dangers of eating "in the dark", fret not - our countdown of the worst additives returns this year, with an addition to be announced soon. (One that manufacturers have disguised to deceive you into thinking it is healthy and "natural" - which couldn't be farther from the truth.)
So grab your magnifying glass - you may need it to read all the fine print and discover what is actually in those products, before you decide to feed them to yourselves and your families.
Once again, here is the Top 10 Food Additives to Avoid, thanks to our project Food Identity Theft:
1. High Fructose Corn Syrup             6. Potassium bromate   
2. Aspartame                                  7. Brominated vegetable oil
3. Hydrolyzed protein                       8. BHA and BHT                       
4. Autolyzed yeast                           9. Trans fats
5. Monosodium glutamate                10. Artificial colors


Why hasn’t our government taken action to stop it? Could it be that profits for big food corporations are more important than the health of our children here in the USA? Or is it possible, that the government thinks that this is a free market and no one forces us to buy these foods loaded with junk?
Whatever the case maybe, there are a few things we, teachers/parents, can do.

• We could boycott foods that have these chemicals (e.g., dyes, artificial coloring, sweeteners, corn syrup, and many others). Yes, it’s up to us to make the correct choices. 
• We should buy and eat fresh foods as much as we can. However, we must realize that many poor families may not have lots of choices when it comes to diet. That is why I believe that our government should ban the use of artificial food dyes and other chemicals in foods, or at the very least label them and specify/explain that these artificial (not natural) food colorings may be harmful to your health.

Still Life. Oil on wood board. Ottavio Lo Piccolo (c) 1984.

What else can we do? Additional actions we can take. 

• We must encourage, inform and show our children and students how to eat healthy foods. Because if we don’t, we cannot function, we cannot work and/or lead a productive healthy life.
• Consider healthy options for meal planning with healthy, delicious and nutritious snacks that are dye free. Avoid grocery store aisles and children’s lunches, snacks full of artificial (not natural) food dyes. 
• Have fresh foods available in our homes/schools so that kids are exposed to them.
• Write and/or call your State and Federal representatives about this health risk. Ask them pass legislation (laws) that bans (prohibits/removes) dyes and artificial coloring from foods, or at least ask them to add warning labels on foods that have artificial dyes. (22 March, 2012. Adapted from Victoria Slocum, www.greenplaterule.com)   
•  And last, but not leas, talk about this problem with others, parents/teachers. Copy this article and pass it around and or email. You have my permission.

Sources: 

1. http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf
2.  http://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes/
3. http://www.sortacrunchy.net/sortacrunchy/2011/12/ten-things-everyone-should-know-about-artificial-food-coloring-.html

All writings/images are © Copyrighted by Ottavio Lo Piccolo 2014 (unless otherwise specified). All rights reserved. No part of these writings, images/artworks, may be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the authors’ written permission. Classroom teachers may copy individual articles with the images included in each piece, but only for instructional purposes and only for their classroom students. However, you have my permission to copy this blog/article for your family and friends. All images from Google Images, unless otherwise posted.