There is a high chance that last week you bought a food item with food additives in it. According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics they have learned that about 60% of foods use technical food additives which is about a 10% increase since 2001. If Americans buy color additives all the time, why aren’t the ingredients explicitly stated in the food packages? When searching the question “What are color additives” on Google, the first website that shows up is fda.gov, which is a government run food and drug administration that has a role in regulating and approving ingredients in our food supply. When clicking on the article “Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers” I beg to ask the question “What information are they leaving out of their answers?”. The FDA color additive has synthetic substances and natural sources in it. As to what these “synthetic sources” are, it is unclear. The FDA regulations on color additives in food include substances that are both synthetic and those that derive from natural sources.
The synthetic coloring is man made and has to undergo a batch certification by the FDA to make sure it meets the requirements needed to be used. One of these ingredients includes petroleum which is a crude oil that is used in gasoline, plastic and diesel fuel. Who wants to eat that? In contrast, natural substances such as plants, animals, or mineral sources are exempt from using the requirements but still must be FDA approved. An example is the insect, Cochineal which is dried, crushed and mixed in an acidic solution to make a red dye. The FDA only decided to specify the product because it provoked major health concerns such as allergic reactions, respiratory problems and asthma in some individuals. This begs the question: what other natural ingredients are they keeping from us?
In total, the FDA has nine color additives approved. You may see some of these including Blue 1 (Popsicles, beverages, frosting & icings) Red 40 (Dairy products, gelatins and beverages) and Yellow 5 (Yogurt, baked goods and condiments). These FDA approved additives have questionable ingredients and you can not let the “natural color” fool you.