FDA urged to ban 8 food dyes

[Guest guest]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/06/03/dyes.adhd.ap/index.htm

l

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and

Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial

colorings in food because they have been linked to hyperactivity and

behavior problems in children.

Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that

children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the

Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the

British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to

switch to safer colorings.

Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the center's

assertion. The agency's Web site contains a 2004 brochure that asks

the question: " Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity? "

" No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, well-

controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence

that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in

children, " the agency said.

Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman, said Tuesday that color additives

undergo safety reviews prior to approval for marketing and that

samples of each artificial coloring are tested. She said the agency

reviewed one of the studies that the center cites in calling for a

ban.

" (We) didn't find a reason to change our conclusions that the

ingredients are safe for the general population, " Zawisza said. " Also

note that the European Food Safety Agency has a similar view as

FDA's. "

Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate

the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly

prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched to

children.

" The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real

food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children,

or both, " said the center's executive director, F.

son. " Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral problems

that this is truly worth the risk? "

The center's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on

foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to ban

the dyes outright.

Brackett, chief science officer for the Grocery Manufacturers

Association, said the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence

confirms the safety of certified food dyes.

" Based on these findings, there is no need for consumers to alter

their purchasing and eating habits, " Brackett said. " They and their

children can safely enjoy food products containing these food colors. "

The colorings the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1,

Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6.

[Guest guest]

anybody ever have any of these show up in their kid's allergy tests?

red dye #3 and yellow dye #5 were the top offenders for us, along with

several other wholesome ingredients such as aspartame, fluoride, msg,

polysorbate 80, etc.

I wonder how many children were assayed for hypersensitive reactions

(e.g IgG) within any of the studies which constitute the " overwhelming

majority of scientific evidence " that the GMA speaks of?

Sorry if I'm being just a bit cynical...

>

> http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/06/03/dyes.adhd.ap/index.htm

> l

>

> WASHINGTON (AP) -- A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and

> Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial

> colorings in food because they have been linked to hyperactivity and

> behavior problems in children.

>

> Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that

> children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the

> Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the

> British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to

> switch to safer colorings.

>

> Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the center's

> assertion. The agency's Web site contains a 2004 brochure that asks

> the question: " Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity? "

>

> " No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, well-

> controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence

> that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in

> children, " the agency said.

>

> Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman, said Tuesday that color additives

> undergo safety reviews prior to approval for marketing and that

> samples of each artificial coloring are tested. She said the agency

> reviewed one of the studies that the center cites in calling for a

> ban.

>

> " (We) didn't find a reason to change our conclusions that the

> ingredients are safe for the general population, " Zawisza said. " Also

> note that the European Food Safety Agency has a similar view as

> FDA's. "

>

> Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate

> the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly

> prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched to

> children.

>

> " The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real

> food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children,

> or both, " said the center's executive director, F.

> son. " Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral problems

> that this is truly worth the risk? "

>

> The center's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on

> foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to ban

> the dyes outright.

>

> Brackett, chief science officer for the Grocery Manufacturers

> Association, said the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence

> confirms the safety of certified food dyes.

>

> " Based on these findings, there is no need for consumers to alter

> their purchasing and eating habits, " Brackett said. " They and their

> children can safely enjoy food products containing these food colors. "

>

> The colorings the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1,

> Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6.

>

[Guest guest]

Right after the MMR started my son's downward turn the very 1st thing I noticed

was that he could not handle food dyes at all, especially the blue/greens.

Someone on another list mentioned that the " lake " colors contain heavy metals

and that, just like thimerosal, they were Grandfathered in to the FDA. But I

haven't looked into it myself. I do think, from several parent reports and my

own experience, that the food dyes might be linked to toe walking in some of our

kids. -

PS. My two NT daughters cannot handle them either. My 4 year old litterly

bounces off the walls and becomes very aggressive if someone gives her something

with any artificial dye.

>

>Date: 2008/06/17 Tue AM 10:29:42 EDT

>To: EOHarm

>Subject: Re: FDA urged to ban 8 food dyes

>

>anybody ever have any of these show up in their kid's allergy tests?

>

>red dye #3 and yellow dye #5 were the top offenders for us, along with

>several other wholesome ingredients such as aspartame, fluoride, msg,

>polysorbate 80, etc.

>

>I wonder how many children were assayed for hypersensitive reactions

>(e.g IgG) within any of the studies which constitute the " overwhelming

>majority of scientific evidence " that the GMA speaks of?

>

>Sorry if I'm being just a bit cynical...

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the add'l info about the other colors. We didn't test for

food / chemical allergies until well after the MMR so maybe we had

kinda the same turning point here - hard to say.

I believe Dr Sid Baker (either in his book or at a DAN) talked about

his experiences with one particular patient - where he had a very

difficult time convincing the primary doctor that a prescription med

was causing problems - because of the artificial colouring or

flavouring - can't recall the product off hand but apparently there

was a bad reaction is this child - Dr B had to cut thru the other

doc's " righteous indignation " to get him to agree to a compounded

formula (same med without the add'l colour added) - to which the child

responded well. It's not just foods - even certain meds can be a

problem for some kids - and the docs who just don't see this as a

potential problem aren't helping matters much either.

>

> Right after the MMR started my son's downward turn the very 1st

thing I noticed was that he could not handle food dyes at all,

especially the blue/greens. Someone on another list mentioned that

the " lake " colors contain heavy metals and that, just like thimerosal,

they were Grandfathered in to the FDA. But I haven't looked into it

myself. I do think, from several parent reports and my own

experience, that the food dyes might be linked to toe walking in some

of our kids. -

>

> PS. My two NT daughters cannot handle them either. My 4 year old

litterly bounces off the walls and becomes very aggressive if someone

gives her something with any artificial dye.

> >

> >Date: 2008/06/17 Tue AM 10:29:42 EDT

> >To: EOHarm

> >Subject: Re: FDA urged to ban 8 food dyes

>

> >

> >anybody ever have any of these show up in their kid's allergy tests?

> >

> >red dye #3 and yellow dye #5 were the top offenders for us, along with

> >several other wholesome ingredients such as aspartame, fluoride, msg,

> >polysorbate 80, etc.

> >

> >I wonder how many children were assayed for hypersensitive reactions

> >(e.g IgG) within any of the studies which constitute the " overwhelming

> >majority of scientific evidence " that the GMA speaks of?

> >

> >Sorry if I'm being just a bit cynical...

> >

>

[Guest guest]

This is right, . The " Lake " colors contain Aluminum.

>

> Right after the MMR started my son's downward turn the very 1st thing I

noticed was

that he could not handle food dyes at all, especially the blue/greens. Someone

on another

list mentioned that the " lake " colors contain heavy metals and that, just like

thimerosal,

they were Grandfathered in to the FDA. But I haven't looked into it myself. I

do think,

from several parent reports and my own experience, that the food dyes might be

linked to

toe walking in some of our kids. -

>

> PS. My two NT daughters cannot handle them either. My 4 year old litterly

bounces off

the walls and becomes very aggressive if someone gives her something with any

artificial

dye.

> >

> >Date: 2008/06/17 Tue AM 10:29:42 EDT

> >To: EOHarm

> >Subject: Re: FDA urged to ban 8 food dyes

>

> >

> >anybody ever have any of these show up in their kid's allergy tests?

> >

> >red dye #3 and yellow dye #5 were the top offenders for us, along with

> >several other wholesome ingredients such as aspartame, fluoride, msg,

> >polysorbate 80, etc.

> >

> >I wonder how many children were assayed for hypersensitive reactions

> >(e.g IgG) within any of the studies which constitute the " overwhelming

> >majority of scientific evidence " that the GMA speaks of?

> >

> >Sorry if I'm being just a bit cynical...

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Only took 3 decades for food colorings? Sad

Primer who lives in Oceanside but is in Carlsbad Unified School District

Tired of the energy crunch? Fuel your body with something healthy and delicious. The energy of the future is Verve. All your daily Vitamins, Essential Minerals, Mangosteen and Aloe in an energy drink.

~Well-behaved women seldom make history~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

FDA urged to ban 8 food dyes

http://www.cnn. com/2008/ HEALTH/condition s/06/03/dyes. adhd.ap/index. htmlWASHINGTON (AP) -- A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial colorings in food because they have been linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children.Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to switch to safer colorings.Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the center's assertion. The agency's Web site contains a 2004 brochure that asks the question: "Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity?

""No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, well-controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in children," the agency said. Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman, said Tuesday that color additives undergo safety reviews prior to approval for marketing and that samples of each artificial coloring are tested. She said the agency reviewed one of the studies that the center cites in calling for a ban."(We) didn't find a reason to change our conclusions that the ingredients are safe for the general population," Zawisza said. "Also note that the European Food Safety Agency has a similar view as FDA's."Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and

snack foods pitched to children."The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children, or both," said the center's executive director, F. son. "Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral problems that this is truly worth the risk?"The center's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to ban the dyes outright. Brackett, chief science officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence confirms the safety of certified food dyes."Based on these findings, there is no need for consumers to alter their purchasing and eating habits," Brackett said. "They and their children can safely enjoy food products containing these food colors."The colorings

the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6.

[Guest guest]

Thank you for sharing this very interesting article. Jeez..This is

right up there with how the FDA has handled BPA problem..

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bpatimeline

Is there an online petition we can sign on this recent issue?

>

> http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/06/03/dyes.adhd.ap/index.htm

> l

>

> WASHINGTON (AP) -- A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and

> Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial

> colorings in food because they have been linked to hyperactivity and

> behavior problems in children.

>

> Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that

> children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the

> Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the

> British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to

> switch to safer colorings.

>

> Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the center's

> assertion. The agency's Web site contains a 2004 brochure that asks

> the question: " Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity? "

>

> " No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, well-

> controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence

> that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in

> children, " the agency said.

>

> Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman, said Tuesday that color additives

> undergo safety reviews prior to approval for marketing and that

> samples of each artificial coloring are tested. She said the agency

> reviewed one of the studies that the center cites in calling for a

> ban.

>

> " (We) didn't find a reason to change our conclusions that the

> ingredients are safe for the general population, " Zawisza said. " Also

> note that the European Food Safety Agency has a similar view as

> FDA's. "

>

> Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate

> the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly

> prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched to

> children.

>

> " The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real

> food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children,

> or both, " said the center's executive director, F.

> son. " Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral problems

> that this is truly worth the risk? "

>

> The center's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on

> foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to ban

> the dyes outright.

>

> Brackett, chief science officer for the Grocery Manufacturers

> Association, said the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence

> confirms the safety of certified food dyes.

>

> " Based on these findings, there is no need for consumers to alter

> their purchasing and eating habits, " Brackett said. " They and their

> children can safely enjoy food products containing these food colors. "

>

> The colorings the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1,

> Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6.

>

[Guest guest]

My son became the tasmanian devil as a toddler when ingesting

anything with artificail food dyes. We did several experiments where

we watched his diet very carefully, then would give him a bag of

cheetos (full of yellow dye). Within an hour he could not sit still,

became aggressive, and could not make eye contact. Now that he is

older, he can tolerate controlled exposure, say at a kids party,

without too much disruption.

>

> Only took 3 decades for food colorings?  Sad

>

>  

>  

>

>

>

> FDA urged to ban 8 food dyes

>

>

> http://www.cnn. com/2008/ HEALTH/condition s/06/03/dyes.

adhd.ap/index. htm

> l

>

> WASHINGTON (AP) -- A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and

> Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial

> colorings in food because they have been linked to hyperactivity

and

> behavior problems in children.

>

> Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that

> children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says

the

> Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the

> British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to

> switch to safer colorings.

>

> Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the center's

> assertion. The agency's Web site contains a 2004 brochure that asks

> the question: " Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity? "

>

> " No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, well-

> controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence

> that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in

> children, " the agency said.

>

> Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman, said Tuesday that color

additives

> undergo safety reviews prior to approval for marketing and that

> samples of each artificial coloring are tested. She said the agency

> reviewed one of the studies that the center cites in calling for a

> ban.

>

> " (We) didn't find a reason to change our conclusions that the

> ingredients are safe for the general population, " Zawisza

said. " Also

> note that the European Food Safety Agency has a similar view as

> FDA's. "

>

> Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate

> the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly

> prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched

to

> children.

>

> " The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of

real

> food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to

children,

> or both, " said the center's executive director, F.

> son. " Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral

problems

> that this is truly worth the risk? "

>

> The center's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on

> foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to

ban

> the dyes outright.

>

> Brackett, chief science officer for the Grocery

Manufacturers

> Association, said the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence

> confirms the safety of certified food dyes.

>

> " Based on these findings, there is no need for consumers to alter

> their purchasing and eating habits, " Brackett said. " They and their

> children can safely enjoy food products containing these food

colors. "

>

> The colorings the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue

1,

> Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6.

>

>

> Primer who lives in Oceanside but is in Carlsbad Unified

School District

> Tired of the energy crunch? Fuel your body with something healthy

and delicious. The energy of the future is Verve. All your daily

Vitamins, Essential Minerals, Mangosteen and Aloe in an energy drink.

> ~Well-behaved women seldom make history~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

>

[Guest guest]

Interesting topic...after eating artificial blue stuff, my vax injured

dd used to turn into a wild animal - she'd have the deer in head lights

look about her, she go non communicative, non responsive and she'd just

run wild with no ability to listen or comprehend for 30-45 minutes

afterward.

Now that she's 6 the effect is lessened but it's still there at

birthday parties when the dreaded green, blue or red frosted cake is

served.

When we have lollipop treats now it's Yummy Earth Organic - no

artificial colors or preservatives, and our store bought cakes come

from Whole foods.

There was something else that made her crazy - something in mainstream

breads/pizza crusts - modified yeast maybe or aluminum baking

powder...hmmm? That problem we cleared up by switching to all natural

bakery products with no preservatives.