Spilling The Green Tea

We all know we shouldn’t be eating artificial flavors and colors; however, it is hard to avoid as it is in numerous items from food and beverage to medications and supplements, makeup and toiletries. Dyes are used in food to make the food more appealing to the eye, the brighter the color the more attractive for the consumer, especially children. It is a pure marketing ploy. It is for pure profit. Pure greed.

There are nine artificial dyes that have been approved by the FDA:

• Blue 1 (brilliant blue) – found to inhibit nerve cell development in vitro, and its use has been related to skin irritations and bronchial constriction
• Blue 2 (indigo carmine) – hypersensitivity reactions
• Citrus Red 2 – toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs.
• Green 3 – caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats
• Orange B – presence of carcinogenic contaminants
• Red 3 (erythrosine) – cancer in animals at high levels and hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral effects in children
• Red 40 (Allura red) – linked to hyperactivity, ADHD, cancer
• Yellow 5 (tartrazine) – damage to human white blood cells, increased risk of tumors and cancer
• Yellow 6 (sunset yellow) – nasal congestion, hives, allergies, kidney tumors, DNA damage, hyperactivity, abdominal pain, headaches, migraines, vomiting, nausea, hormonal changes

In my opinion, all of these artificial dyes should be banned! They serve no purpose other than to fuel the greed of corporations and the FDA all at the expense of our health. It is a vicious circle and the fact that the United States has not banned any of these is baffling especially when other countries have banned them:

Blue 1 is banned in Finland, Norway and France.

Blue 2 is banned in Finland, Norway and France.

Citrus Red 2 is banned in California, Arizona, and Europe.

Green 3 is banned in Europe.

Red 3 is banned in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chine and Japan and soon to be California.

Red 40 is banned in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Yellow 5 & 6 is banned in Finland, Norway and Australia. Other countries in Europe still use that dye but, per the European Union, those products containing the dye must come with a warning label.

Red dyes have been making recent headlines as California has put into law a ban of Red Dye 3 due to its harmful implications on health.

Red Dye 3 is made from petroleum (yes, the same petroleum used for gasoline and diesel oil) and has been widely used in the United States since the early 1900s. Due to research in 1990, Red Dye 3 was found to cause cancer (specifically thyroid cancer) in lab rats. Because of that research, the FDA banned Red Dye 3 from cosmetics such as lipsticks, powders, and lotions but did NOT ban Red Dye 3 from being used in our food and beverages.

For anyone who has already done their research, lotions, makeups and other cosmetics and toiletries have the SAME effect on our bodies as food and beverages. Just because we don’t physically “eat” or ingest those products as we do food, it doesn’t mean it is any safer. It is absorbed through our skin/pores and still enters our bloodstreams. For the FDA to think topical products are safer than edible products is ludicrous.

To give more evidence of what I stated, do some research on the relationship of aluminum and antiperspirants. I will be discussing more on that relationship in a later post.

Thomas Galligan, a PhD with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) stated:

“FDA itself concluded in 1990 that Red 3 is an animal carcinogen, and federal laws explicitly prohibit use of color additives that cause cancer in humans or animals. As a result of that decision, FDA banned use of Red 3 in cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990, but determined it would need to take separate action to ban it in foods, supplements, and oral drugs. The agency promised to take steps to do so, but never did. (The FDA’s) separate action never came, so for 33 years American consumers have been unnecessarily exposed to this cancer-causing color additive.”

Currently there are 3,200 products on the market containing the dye. A general list of items containing the dye include:

• Dairy Products (flavored milk, yogurt, puddings, ice cream, and popsicles)
• Baked Goods and Sweets (cakes, pastries, candy, and chewing gum)
• Snacks (breakfast cereals and bars, jello, fruit snacks, chips)
• Beverages (breakfast cereals and bars, jello, fruit snacks, chips)

Some brand names of products containing Red Dye 3 include:

• Archer Farms
• Betty Crocker
• Blue Bunny
• Brach’s
• Dippin Dots
• Dole
• Doritos
• Duncan Hines
• Entenmann’s
• Gatorade
• Hostess
• Jelly Belly
• M&Ms
• Mountain Dew
• Necco
• PediaSure
• Peeps
• Pepsi
• Pez
• PopTarts
• Skittles
• Trolli
• Yoo Hoo

An FDA spokesperson stated:

“The FDA will continue to engage in the scientific and regulatory review of color additives and act when necessary to ensure that the products marketed to consumers are safe and properly labeled.”

Christopher Gindlesperger, of the National Confectioners Association responded to the new law in California:

“The vibrant colors are important to our industry. It’s FDA’s call to make. It’s time for the FDA to lean into the discussion and, have a solid review, [and] evaluate all the available science.”

Gindlesperger did warn that when the Red Dye 3 ban takes effect in 2027, it may cause food/candy corporations to increase prices and cause “confusion” to consumers, especially parents.

Confusion? These big corporations really do think we, as parents, can’t put one and one together. Unbelievable!

Consumer Reports has started a petition urging the FDA to ban food dyes. You may sign it here.

I have said it before and I will say it again, If God didn’t create it don’t take it. If it’s not naturally grown on this Earth, don’t eat it.

Some alternatives to red food dye that are natural include:

• Beet juice
• Beet powder
• Cranberries
• Hibiscus flowers
• Pomegranate juice

It may take some time to find alternatives to dyes but it will be time well spent. No one wants to spend the rest of their lives battling chronic illnesses, in and out at doctors’ offices, and taking prescriptions. That is no way to live.

And it is sad that greed has overtaken our society to the point where we keep people sick so that others stay wealthy. It gets me so frustrated and I hope I get to see people held accountable or laws change in my lifetime, but I have to remember Hebrews 4:13-16:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

I couldn’t have said it better 🙂