Proposed Ban on Specific Food Colorings

The Food and Drug Administration was petitioned to ban the use of eight artificial food colorings because the additives may be a cause of hyperactivity and behavior problems in some children. Over 30 years controlled studies have been conducted and have shown that the behavior of children can be worsened by some artificial dyes, said the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They also noted that the British government is successfully getting food manufacturers to switch to safer food colorings.

The Food and Drug Administration has consistently disputed the Center's assertion over the years. The website for the agency contains a brochure for 2004 that asks the question: "Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity?" The agency answered, "No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970s, well-controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in children."

A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said that the food coloring additives undergo reviews for safety prior to being approved for marketing and that each artificial coloring are tested. The food-coloring dyes in question- The food colors that the center is seeking to ban are: Blue 1, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Red 3, Yellow 6, and Orange B-are used in many foods, oftentimes to simulate the coloring of vegetables or fruits, and are predominantly found in cereals, sodas, candies, and snack foods advertised to kids. The Center's executive director, Michael F. Jacobson, said that the purpose for the chemicals is often to cover up the absence of real food, and to increase the appeal of a product with low-nutrition to children and adults.

The petition from the Center asks the Food and Drug Administration to require warning labels on foods that have artificial dyes while it considers the group's request to ban the food-coloring dyes altogether. The chief science officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Robert Brackett, stated that the majority of the scientific evidence confirms that certified food dyes are safe.