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New Consumer Web Tool Helps You Find Children’s Foods & Candies Without Synthetic Dyes
Approaching Valentine’s Day, consumers are surrounded with candies and processed foods containing synthetic food dyes. Increasingly, these dyes have been found to increase hyperactivity and other disturbed behavior in children. Two new consumer tools from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) help parents make smart choices about foods not containing brain toxins.
“The latest science indicates that even modest amounts of synthetic food dyes can affect learning in children,” said David Wallinga, M.D., Director of IATP’s Food and Health program. “Parents shouldn’t have to be chemists to find healthy food that helps growing brains. We can do better.”
IATP’s web-based Brain Food SelectorTM is a database that helps parents easily find which foods contain synthetic dyes. Parents can search by brand, product type or food dye. IATP’s Smart Guide to Food Dyes describes why synthetic food dyes are used, associated children’s health concerns and things parents can do to avoid them.
Synthetic food dyes, mostly petroleum-derived, are unnecessary. FDA-approved uses for synthetic food dyes include: making foods more fun (e.g., Valentine’s sprinkles or brightly colored candies); coloring for otherwise colorless foods (e.g., lime sherbet); and enhancing natural color. Synthetic food dyes are used in a number of foods such as Fruit Loops and popsicles, but also butter, the skins of fruit and the casings of hot dogs. Synthetic dyes are especially common in foods marketed to children, including candies as well as many foods, dressings, treats, and dipping sauces at fast food outlets.
The industrialization of the food system helps account for the increase in food additives such as food dyes, preservatives and sweeteners. The high degree of food processing, which exposes foods to high temperatures, light, air and moisture, leads to an increased loss of natural color. Post-processing, synthetic dyes are often added to offset the color loss.
During the last three decades, repeated studies have concluded that modest doses of synthetic dyes added to foods can provoke hyperactivity and other disturbed behavior in children. In April 2008, Britain’s Food Standards Agency advised the food industry to voluntarily ban the use of six common synthetic food dyes by 2009. Some companies now sell two versions of their products: one without synthetic food dyes for the UK, and a U.S. version that includes such dyes.
“The good news is that there are safer alternatives to synthetic food dyes and many food companies are already making the switch,” said Dr. Wallinga. “We need the food industry and U.S. government agencies to catch up with the latest science and start protecting our children. Until then, parents need to be armed with information when they go to the supermarket.”
Resource: Brain Food Selector and the Smart Guide to Food Dyes at: www.iatp.org
Related Post: Food Additives Cause Hyperactive Behavior
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Welcome to Verda Vivo. My name is Daryl Warner Laux.
Afton, Minnesota, February 19, 2009 – One developing company has combined an excellent idea with a growing need – and made it reality. Suntava™, a young Minnesota group, is offering an alternative to synthetic food additives by providing the world with a new and natural choice, while at the same time creating jobs.
As a development-stage firm, Suntava™ has created a natural purple corn hybrid from which natural red dyes are extracted for use as a healthy option to the synthetic colorings found in many foods, beverages and cosmetics.
“Synthetic dyes have been common in the food chain since the early 1900’s, and today are five times more prevalent in our diets than they were 30 years ago,” said Bill Petrich, Suntava president and CEO. “Suntava’s ‘purple corn’ based product offers a substitute for synthetics – and comes from a safe, non-GMO product anyone can use.”
Due in part to health concerns that have risen recently in the United States and Europe, and the growing desire for natural products, some organizations like Whole Foods Market and the Oprah! Program Web site, have questioned the need for artificial colorants – while calling for natural alternatives.
As this trend brings a greater demand for locally-produced natural dyes, Suntava is ready to meet it by deriving its product from our most abundant and widely understood crop source: corn.
As part of its mission to succeed, Suntava has positioned itself as a progressive, value-oriented U.S. based company that makes alternatives from a plentiful source while creating more jobs as it grows to meet the increasing demand.
Across two hemispheres for the past 12 years, Suntava’s founders have developed their unique, natural, purple maize hybrid, extracting the natural dyes abundant in it, while at the same time preserving the quality of the corn’s starches, glutens and oils, for other uses that positively affect the food chain. From these successes, Suntava hopes to facilitate penetration and distribution alliances of its unique product in key markets this year and beyond.
For more information, please visit http://www.suntava.com.
Our family suffered unknowingly for ten years from the effects of food dyes and artificial preservatives in our son’s diet. Everyone to whom I have spoken that has made the change has shown the same dramatic results. You all know the same things. I am now speaking at local PTA meetings and “new mothers support groups” to spread the word immediately and I urge you all to do the same. I simply share my firsthand account, supported by the few facts my pea-brain can hold and then refer them all to Feingold, CSPI and the rest of the internet universe. EVERY person I talk to about the food dyes seems to be hearing this information for the first time. I have many “new best friends” because people are soooooo grateful for this information. It is NOT commonly known and I believe that we can empower families to improve their situations overnight without waiting for the FDA. It will be years before any action will be undertaken by them and that will be years of suffering for millions of people. Blogs are good, but nothing gets the message out better than seeing yourself in someone else’s story.
I think most folks have the mistaken idea that the chemicals, dyes and additives that are present in our food, personal, and household products have been tested thoroughly and approved by a governmental body such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Nothing could be further from the truth. ~ Daryl