Coming soon to a supermarket near you:
Screaming Yellow Off-White Zonkers!
Posted on 01/10/2009 6:07:08 AM PST by truthfinder9
This was from a few months ago, there was a more recent article but I can't find it. It's funny, we now have 30 years of research supporting the artificial food dye-kid hyperactivity link, yet our FDA has done nothing. Once again, we have given all responsibility of something (our food) to politicians (FDA) who only have to pretend their doing something. Just as troubling is how secretive and unregulated the food ingredient and chemical businesses are. Here's out it works: They say its safe, and the politicians that they pay off agree. Note in the article below that American food companies are removing these chemicals from their foods in other countries, but not in the U.S. Why? Because they can get away with it here.
Yet another example of the government messing something up because we insist on not taking responsibility for ourselves.
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Prominent United States advocacy group, The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), has asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban eight artificial food dyes, citing studies linking the food colorings to behavioral problems in children. The FDA has long maintained that research shows no solid link between food dyes and behavioral disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); however, CSPI experts believe newer studies prove otherwise. Artificial food dyes—which tend to be cheaper and look more vibrant than natural colorings—are primarily derived from petroleum and coal tars.
The CSPI, prompted by the success of an ongoing consumer uprising against artificial food dyes in the United Kingdom, hopes that by focusing on the issue, US producers will choose to drop the synthetic dyes. According to Kraft spokesman Michael Mitchell, “This is about listening to consumers.” And, in the UK, they are listening. Food giant Mars, Inc. removed artificial coloring from Starburst and Skittle candies sold in the UK and Kraft in the UK removed the dyes from its British Lunchables. The McDonald’s Corporation uses natural colorings for strawberry shakes and sundaes in the UK, but continues to use artificial dyes for these products in the US.
In the US, consumers do not appear concerned, whereas Kraft’s market research in the UK has shown a “much higher interest” in food dyes. In the US, consumers seemed to be more concerned over calorie, fat, and sodium content, so in the US, Kraft, Mars, and others continue to add artificial dyes to food products.
CSPI reports that the blue coloring in Aunt Jemima’s blueberry waffles does not come from blueberries, but is derived from artificial food dyes Red 40 and Blue 2. The CSPI has petitioned the FDA to ban the two most commonly used dyes—Red 40 and Yellow 5, as well as Blue 2 and five other synthetic dyes. Because these petitions can take years to decide, the CSPI asked the FDA to require warning labels be included on products made with artificial dyes in the interim.
And while the FDA claims it has reviewed this issue before and found no conclusive evidence to support such claims, the CSPI points to a newer study from Britain that found kids who drank artificially colored juice had increased hyperactivity over children who drank a placebo not containing artificial coloring. The CSPI cited a study funded by the British government and published in September in a UK medical journal. After a review of trials involving about 200 children, researchers at the UK’s Southampton University found that there was a statistically significant link between hyperactive behavior and the consumption of certain artificial colors, including Red 40 and Yellow 5. Britain is now phasing out these dyes and pediatricians recommend avoiding artificially colored junk food.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency recommended that by the end of 2009, food manufacturers should stop using several artificial colors and also called for the UK to lobby for a Europe-wide ban. A number of key supermarket chains in the UK have also pledged to cut back on selling food containing “nasties,” a common British term for artificial additives.
Geez, they want us to be green, and we can’t even use green dye?
Red dye #40 sends one of my kids over the moon. It’s like he drank a whole pot of coffee, himself. Just one kid, though. So ... we vote with our dollars and don’t buy stuff like that. We had to start reading labels a lot, though.
The choice is ours, to read labels and buy or not buy.
Food dye does seem kind of pointless.
RED DYE DOES MAKE SOME KIDS HYPER. There are different kinds of allergies and my daughter can drink a red Hi-C and she is the real life version of Daffy Duck. I had a call from the daycare once who was complaining about how she couldn’t sit still or wouldn’t stop talking 90 miles a minute (and even laughingly asked if she slipped into the coffee) and they didn’t understand because she was normally a pretty good kid. I asked what she had for snack.... RED HI-C. I said READ HER CHART.
If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes (and obviously comfirmation from others who had no idea) I wouldn’t gave believed it. Food affects people differently.
I’ve always felt (don’t know that I could prove it) that it isn’t only the food dyes, but also the loads of preservatives. I am of the opinion that these things could be contributing to not just hyperactivity problems, but the dramatic rise in food allergies over the last few decades.
Lost all credibility right there.
You’re right, preservatives aren’t good either. I have seen a trend of companies moving away from as many chemicals, but only barely.
See the book “The Hundred-Year Lie.” Sometimes the author takes the argument a little too far, but he traces the issue of chemicals in foods and the resulting problems all the way to the beginning.
The credibility is in the 30 years of studies. Are people really so dumb that they think dyes dervied from motor oil are entirelys safe? What’s it going to take for people to realize the government could care less about them? 100 more bailouts of failing companies that deserve to fail?
I like the ideal of banning idiots, who will second the motion!!!
I’m not sure what the point is in dyeing food anyway. I suppose that a product that is dyed will sell better than a similar product that is not, but if neither brand can be dyed, then it’s a level playing field.
The way I feel about wal mart and it's Chinese foods import division, washed in the clean waters of the Yangtze River. LOL
When the Greens find out the Moon is made of cheese they’ll ban the night sky.
More important question is How do we STOP the food nazis and all the rest of the Leftists zealots, all of whom are embedded with a sick, sick, sick need to control others. . .
The truth just may be, that these people are far more dangerous to our health and well-being than ANYthing they might put under their microscopes. They have certainly damned America's economy; and the health and well-being of all so impacted; just for starters. Time for a study here of Liberals and Liberalism. If the truth of the findings were disclosed; then Liberals and their idiology would surely be banned.
Well, there are ways around that. I was recently in Scotland, and purchased some lime-flavored hard candies, the packaging of which proclaimed them to be "all natural." They were distinctly green; I know from my extensive amateur bartending experience that lime juice is almost colorless. I checked the ingredients, and the candies (which were quite good, by the way) contained spinach powder.
So, "all natural," and yet somehow not quite right. I don't worry much about the chemicals in food dyes, but I do object to their deceptive use -- e.g., as ways to make unripe fruits and vegetables appear riper.
Screaming Yellow Off-White Zonkers!
Read Why Your Child is Hyperactive by Doctor Ben F. Feingold, a pediatric allergist. This book was copywrited in 1974!
When my son was having behavior problems in grade school, the doctor said, "Ritalin!". At the time, I didn't know better and allowed it, BUT... started researching. This was before the internet (late 70s, early 80s), so my research involved cards in a library (oy vey!).
I saw a reference to this guys work in some publication and tracked down his book which was not available at the library, so had to buy it.
Dr. Feingold used a "rolling diet" to determine which foods caused allergic reactions in his patients. He noticed, and had reports from parents, that in some cases, their behavior changed, sometimes drastically.
The "rolling diet" eliminates both ALL major allergens and many more that were "suspect" from the child's diet for about 3 weeks, then starts adding them back in, one by one. He provided guidelines for monitoring for any reaction in the child.
I did this with my son and found out that both FD&C Yellow #5 and carmel coloring caused a Jekyl/Hyde change in him. One of the things to watch in the under-test child was ears. His would go from normal color to bright red within 10 minutes of drinking a colored soda (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, etc.) and go from a great kid to someone I wanted to put in a closet. Sprite - no reaction.
Dr. Feingold reports that many kids grow out of these allergies at puberty, something that the local ritalin-prescribing doctor had told me that "hyperactive" kids also do.
Hmmmmm.
So. Until my son left home, I used nothing with either of these colors in them. Do you know how HARD it is to get a breakfast cereal without FD&C Yellow #5??? Chex, shredded wheat, grapenuts, and of course, oatmeal and cream of wheat were our staples.
I allowed no "flavored" chips in the house (didn't allow most junk food, in fact). Cheese isn't naturally yellow, did you know that? What gives it it's nice color? FD&C Yellow #5. Any kind of canned/prepared gravy? The brown is probably carmel coloring. Many canned soups have one or the other.
The kids still talk about how mom made everything "from scratch" to this day. BUT, I was able to throw the ritalin away immediately.
As for the preservatives... that's a different rant.
My mom cooked mostly from scratch, and we didn't have a lot of "junk food" in the house. I've continued that to a great extent (mostly because I don't like the taste of prepared foods) and our kids have no known food allergies, and they are not hyperactive or anything like that. I also use real butter instead of that chemical goop known as margarine. I just don't go overboard on it. We are all healthy and the kids are not the least bit fat or pudgy like so many of their friends. We also avoid products with soy in them as much as possible (soy sauce excepted, but the fermentation process changes the chemical makeup of the soy) as I do not believe that it is the "wonder food" that everyone makes it out to be. There is too much evidence that some of the things in soy, like phyto-estogens, can cause problems, especially in male children. Don't need soy to survive, so I don't need it in my house.
It does take some extra work (prepared foods are convenient), but I love to cook (my wife doesn't cook - I do all the cooking) so I figure it's worth it in the end.
I’ll have to look at DS1’s ears sometime. We’re pretty good at spotting Red #40 but might have to widen our net to yellow dyes, too. Good heads up, there.
No matter what, we expect them to learn how to behave or face the wrath of Mom and Dad.
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