{"id":9674,"date":"2025-09-09T07:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T11:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/?p=9674"},"modified":"2025-09-09T07:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T11:10:14","slug":"the-dangers-of-artificial-food-coloring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/the-dangers-of-artificial-food-coloring\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Artificial Food Coloring"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/header>\n
\"TheIn the grocery store, you will find rows and rows of food in cans, bags, shrink-wrapped packages, boxes and containers. The food looks brighter than you would think after sitting on shelves for a while. There is a reason for that.Food additives<\/a>\u00a0are substances that are added to foods to enhance it in some way. Preservatives prolong shelf life and keep fats from going bad within the food. Artificial flavoring makes foods taste better than they might normally taste, especially frozen foods. Food coloring gives food a bright and inviting look so you\u2019ll want to taste it.<\/p>\n

But, what are these additives really like in foods and in the body? Are they affecting us and our children in different ways that haven\u2019t been considered?<\/p>\n

All of these questions are on the minds of parents and other concerned citizens. Food additives are not banned in this country but many believe that they should be.<\/p>\n

In this article we will be talking about a particular additive,\u00a0artificial food coloring<\/strong>. This has been in our food for years. Just look at the labels. No, this doesn\u2019t mean that these additives should stay, but we\u2019ll get to that later.<\/p>\n

Your food may be more appetizing to the eye and even to the tongue, but discovering the dangers behind these\u00a0food coloring additives\u00a0can help you to make an informed decision the next time you shop.<\/p>\n

What Are Artificial Food Colorings?<\/h3>\n

A History of Food Coloring<\/b><\/p>\n

Food colorings have been used since ancient times. When color was needed, spices, flowers, and juices from fruits and vegetables were employed to do the job. Minerals and ores were also used but were found to be dangerous. If the concentration was off even a little bit, the result was a poisonous food that could not be eaten.<\/p>\n

Artificial food colorings began as additives that enhanced the way that food looked in shop windows. When you see food, what makes you want to eat it? If the color is bright then you think that the food is fresher somehow. It is a trick of the eye and the brain that has worked for manufacturers for ages.<\/p>\n

In early history, food colorings were derived from natural sources. This went for medications and\/or cosmetics too. If you wanted red coloring for a cake, you added red beet root juice to the mixture. This not only provided a deep color but also a certain flavor. For other colors, different spices could be used with water to bring out the desired look.<\/p>\n

But, technology evolves. After World War II, scientists discovered that they could manufacture coloring additives artificially and cheaper than using food sources. The colorings that went into food were created in labs or extracted from dyes. People didn\u2019t notice the difference. Certain colored items may even have become a bit cheaper owing to the new process.<\/p>\n

Many of these artificial colorings were derived from petroleum-based products. It extended shelf life and that was important at the time. According to the government, as long as the chemical used in the food wasn\u2019t at a level that would kill half of the test animals in the group, it was deemed safe for human consumption. There were no tests that measured toxicity as it related to behavior in humans or animals.<\/p>\n

In the 1930s an act was put in place that called for regulation of color additives to foods, drugs and cosmetic products. When artificial colorings were added to the line-up, they also had to be regulated and included in this act (in 1960).<\/p>\n

What were the advantages of artificial food colorings? For one, they could be produced in quantity. It was also discovered that they maintained their shelf life for a long time. Colors didn\u2019t run or fade over time in the packages. Artificial colorings added no additional nutritional value to the food.<\/p>\n

New methods of manufacturing have been developed and the use of\u00a0coloring additives<\/strong>\u00a0has increased. You don\u2019t just see the coloring in candy or jelly beans. It can be found in soft drinks, popsicles, ice cream and even fish.<\/p>\n

Yes, we said fish. Dyes are added to some salmon to keep it looking bright in the package. It apparently works. If you saw a lighter-colored salmon and a brighter piece of fish, which would you buy?<\/p>\n

Types of Artificial Food Coloring<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"TheIn case you are not familiar with\u00a0artificial food colorings<\/em>, here are some of the more common ones that you might find on food labels and where they are used. The following are ones that have been allowed by the FDA. They are called certified dyes because they are man-made.<\/p>\n

They dissolve in water so they are used in certain formulations like gelatin powders that have to be dissolvable. Lakes are dyes that do not dissolve and work better with fats. As such, they have to be tested for efficacy before being used in foods.<\/p>\n