What is Artificial Food Coloring?
Artificial food coloring is a common ingredient in most food products that enhances color and the experience of ingesting and interacting with some foods. While the FDA would never allow artificial food coloring proven to be dangerous to human health to be used in any food products, a number of artificial food colorings once used in food products have been discontinued. Obviously, if artificial food coloring had been proven to be a potential health risk in the past, professionals are interested in continuing the study of artificial food coloring used now to maximize public safety. While most artificial food coloring continues to suggest no association with deterioration of health, a small number of artificial food coloring has yielded potentially dangerous conclusions. So which types of artificial food coloring should you be informed about? There are two specific types of yellow artificial food coloring, Yellow 6 and Yellow 5.
The Artificial Food Coloring Sunset Yellow (Yellow 6)
Despite its whimsical nickname, Yellow 6 has gathered quite the bit of publicity in recent years. Most seriously, studies have suggested that Yellow 6 is also among a group of additives that cause hyperactivity in children (frequently, Yellow 6 is used in yogurts and sweet products). Moreover, there is talk of specifically labeling food products with artificial food colorings such as Yellow 6 to most effectively alert parents of possible effects their children may experience. Yellow 6 is completely banned in Finland and Norway, the UK Food Standards Agency Board is attempting to ban sunset yellow in the E.U. and the Center for Science in the Public Interest is attempting to do the same as the U.K. in the United States.
Does it seem a bit extreme that Finland and Norway have actually banned Yellow 6? That decision may be in part influenced by the fact that in addition to compelling evidence linking the artificial food coloring with hyperactivity, new studies suggest it is also linked with cancer. Some animal testing has produced evidence that strongly suggests Yellow 6 can cause tumors, specifically in the adrenal gland and the kidney, and that combining sunset yellow with substances the body creates from other consumed goods may cause a dangerous reaction. However, the FDA has ruled these studies insignificant, and Yellow 6 continues to be available in America. Still, as Yellow 6 is the third most widely used artificial food coloring used in America, the studies probing potential health risks continue.
The Artificial Food Coloring Tartrazine (Yellow 5)
The second most popular artificial food coloring in America, Yellow 5, is also facing scrutiny. While it is also still deemed acceptable by the FDA, the UK Food Standards Agency Board stressed the relationship between hyperactivity and the presence of several artificial food colorings, including Yellow 5. The link between Yellow 5 and cancer is still being studied. Some research suggests that some chemicals the body convert into substances that may make Yellow 5 a carcinogen (such as benzidine and 4-aminobinphenyl).
What is the likelihood that Yellow 5 will be banned if Yellow 6 is deemed unsuitable for food administration by the FDA? As both types of artificial food coloring are separate entities, both would need to be deemed unsuitable individually by the FDA. However, if momentum picks up on one, it is probable such a ruling would incite some scientists to further investigate another. Therefore, the fate of Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 may influence one another in the future.
WORKS CITED
Food Additives ~ CSPI’s Food Safety.” Center for Science in the Public Interest . Web. 30 Aug. 2011. http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm.