Action Alert about Children and Synthetic Food Dyes

I receive periodic emails from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). I got this email last week, and I thought I should share it with other parents. I know that several mom friends of mine have children with sensitivities to food dyes, and it is bound to be a problem for others as well. If the use of synthetic food dyes concerns you, I urge you to visit the link below and respond to the action alert.

Is your child’s behavior worsened by synthetic food dyes? If so, I need your help.

In June, CSPI asked the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate synthetic dyes, such as Yellow 5 and Red 40, from the food supply. Alarming new evidence shows these chemicals cause behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity, in some children.

If your child’s behavior has been affected by food dyes or has improved from eliminating synthetic colorings from his or her diet, please file a report with us about your experience here:
www.cspinet.org/fooddyes

In the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe, most multinational food companies are using natural colorings but continue to use synthetic dyes for American products. For example, in the U.K. the syrup in a McDonald’s strawberry sundae is colored with actual strawberries. In the U.S., McDonald’s uses a coal-tar-based dye, Red 40. Similarly, Nutri-Grain cereal bars, Starburst candies and Betty Crocker cake have safe, natural colorings in the U.K. but synthetic food dyes in the U.S.

The reports you file at www.cspinet.org/fooddyes will be sent periodically to the Food and Drug Administration, which regrettably continues to deny synthetic dyes cause behavioral problems in children. Unless we contact you asking permission to do otherwise, your name and contact information will be kept confidential.

Thank you for your help on this urgent issue. Please feel free to forward this message to parents of young children.

Christina Gleason (976 Posts)

That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.