Study Reveals Processed Foods Contain More Food Dye than Previously Thought

A recent study by Purdue University scientists has purportedly concluded
that the amounts of artificial food colors found in many popular U.S. foods are
much higher than previously thought, and children—the target market for the
most heavily dyed foods—could be consuming 100 to 200 mg of artificial color
in a day, well over the 30 mg that has allegedly been shown to contribute to
behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
Although manufacturers are required to disclose whether a food contains
artificial coloring, the law does not require that they disclose how much
of each color is used, and, according to the study, the amounts of artificial
coloring in foods has increased more than five-fold since 1950.

“In the 1970s and 1980s, many studies were conducted giving children 26 mg
of a mixture of dyes,” said study author Laura Stevens. “Only a few children
seemed to react to the dyes, so many doctors concluded that a dye-free diet
was pointless. Later studies using larger doses showed that a much larger
percentage of children reacted. But some researchers considered those doses
unrealistically high. It is now clear that even the larger amounts may not have
been high enough. The time is long past due for the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug
Administration]to get dyes out of the food supply or for companies to do so
voluntarily and promptly.” See FoxNews.com, May 21, 2014.

Issue 524