Is Food Coloring Safe?

While the federal government says food coloring is fine, consumer safety advocates believe some dyes may cause ADHD. Is food coloring really safe?

Fruit punch may be red because it contains juice or a dye. Artificial colors show up in everything from cough syrup to eyeliner and children’s cereals.

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Is food coloring safe?

The greatest worry is that food dyes may aggravate attention problems and hyperactivity in children (ADHD). Your best defense is to avoid giving your children artificially colored food, especially if they have ADHD.

Some people also have allergic reactions like itching and hives to food coloring.   

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates food additives. Some experts, however, say the research the FDA has approved is out-of-date.

A human-made dye used in food goes through five to 10 years of laboratory and animal testing before the FDA concludes that it’s safe. For example, the FDA doesn’t approve any coloring that is known to cause cancer in animals or people.

Some additives, generally made from petroleum or coal, must go through a certification stage after approval. The FDA reviews test samples to certify its use in FDA-regulated products.

If you see FD&C Yellow No. 6 on a product label, for example, often on ice cream or baked goods, you can be confident it has been certified. Color additives from plants, animals, and minerals (such as grape color extract) do not need to be certified in each batch, but they still must be approved for safety.

It’s important to understand that a color approved for one use cannot be used for something else.

Does food coloring cause ADHD?

On the other side of the aisle, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) claims that Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, and Red No. 40 “pose risks, including hyperactivity and other behavior problems in children. Some, like Red No. 3, also pose a risk of cancer.”  

In 2021, a comprehensive report published by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) supported concern about behavioral problems, although it didn’t address cancer.

State staff and outside experts produced the report, which three other experts in the field reviewed. The report concluded that several kinds of studies show “that synthetic food dyes can impact neurobehavior in some children.” Some of those children may not have previously had an ADHD diagnosis.

The report said that newer research the FDA hasn’t evaluated suggests that safe levels of exposure are lower than under current rules. The OEHHA called for more research to “evaluate the potential long-term impacts of repeated exposures to food dyes in children.”

Food industry use of natural food coloring

In Europe, a warning label requirement prompted food manufacturers to stop using dyes in products sold there.

Manufacturers, including Mars, General Foods, and Kellogg’s, began promising to remove artificial food dyes from their U.S. products for children about a decade ago. They have made progress, but the job isn’t complete.

One reason is that consumers may prefer the brightly colored versions of food. General Mills made the switch with several cereals, including Trix, but started using artificial colors again after consumers complained and sales declined.

Kraft removed the yellow dye from its kid-popular Macaroni and Cheese, replacing it with annatto and paprika. Annatto comes from the seeds of a tropical fruit, while paprika comes from ground peppers.

Does food coloring cause cancer?

You can see a list of food additives that concern the CSPI here. The group cites caramel coloring, the sweetener aspartame, and the thickener carrageenan as cancer risks, for example.

What you can do

Artificially colored products typically aren’t good for children anyway. Everyone is better off eating unprocessed simple foods.

For example, you can put fresh fruit into a bowl of oatmeal instead of cereal with brightly colored, sugary fake berries.

Try adding melted cheddar cheese on whole wheat pasta.

It may seem harder to eat healthy when you’re pressed for time, but having calmer children will certainly be worth your effort.    

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