CSPI Takes on Food Colors

WASHINGTONFood dyes pose risks of cancer, hyperactivity in children, and allergies, and should be banned, according to a new 58-page report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks.

The three most widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, are contaminated with known carcinogens, says CSPI.

These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional quality or safety of foods, but trigger behavior problems in children and, possibly, cancer in anybody, said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, co-author of the report. The Food and Drug Administration should ban dyes, which would force industry to color foods with real food ingredients, not toxic petrochemicals.

CSPIs report notes that FDAs regulations mandate a stricter standard of safety for color additives than other food additives, saying that there must be convincing evidence that establishes with reasonable certainty that no harm will result from the intended use of the color additive. The standard of convincing evidence does not apply to preservatives, emulsifiers, and other additives.

CSPI charges that the FDA is not enforcing the law in several regards:

·        Red 3 and Citrus Red 2 should be banned under the Delaney amendment, because they caused cancer in rats (some uses were banned in 1990), as should Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, which are tainted with cancer-causing contaminants.

·        Evidence suggests, though does not prove, that Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, and Yellow 6 cause cancer in animals. There certainly is not convincing evidence of safety.

·        Dyed foods should be considered adulterated under the law, because the dyes make a food appear better or of greater value than it istypically by masking the absence of fruit, vegetable, or other more costly ingredient.

In a letter sent today, CSPI urged the FDA to ban all dyes because the scientific studies do not provide convincing evidence of safety, but do provide significant evidence of harm.

Click here for the full report.