During my blogging break, the FDA took a look at food dyes in our food system. Then they decided to do precisely nothing.
No bans.
No warnings.
Business as usual.
Well, at least the FDA no longer can claim plausible deniability. No longer can they disavow knowledge of artificial, petroleum-based food dyes and what many smart people think they do to people, especially children.
To truly appreciate the problems in our food system and what they are doing to our kids, you must watch Robyn O’Brien’s TEDx talk. Brilliant and moving:
Further reading:
What’s up with food dyes and hyperactivity? (Marion Nestle)
Food dye news every skeptic should read (Spoonfed)
Sorry I don't have a link, but I though an honest to goodness scientific study was being done on the correlation between food dyes & behavior issues in children. I remember reading that it was recently started & my mom mentioned it to me as well. My oldest definitely has an adverse reaction after consuming foods with high levels of dyes.
So disappointed in this. My six year old is completely different when he does not consume food dye. Focused, respectful, able to follow directions. We spent most of his toddler/preschool life trying to figure out what was going on with him. It ended up being so simple. Dye out. I can tell when he's had even a tiny bit. Even he can tell now, and he chooses on his own not to eat it. He brings home party treats from school and hands them over, so he can have something he can eat.
I'm not surprised though, the FDA and the dye companies want the money. If everyone stopped buying this kind of food, the companies might figure it out on their own.
My husband and I had a huge fight over this the other day. He swears that food dye has no adverse effects on people… but I am violently allergic to green food dye and will end up in the bathroom for hours every time I eat it at all. One green M&M even gives me fits… We have an 8 week old daughter and I am nervous about giving her anything with dye in it when she gets older and starts eating baby food. Luckily I do all the shopping for the family so I will get to pick food with out dye and plan to make much of our own baby food.
It concerns me how brainwashed people are that the government would never do anything not in the interest of the people it is supposed to protect.
In 2009, the FDA got $480 MILLION from pharmaceutical companies. You really think they're going to ban chemicals kids like, that the American public is familiar with and purchases on a daily basis,just to keep kids healthy? Especially when those dyes might be creating a market for the drugs that are funding the FDA?
Call me skeptical.
Wow! i'm glad I'm in Australia? Although, now I'm worried about what we do allow! I know we have some additives that the UK has banned for many years, but I don't know what else. Time to do some research me thinks 🙂 Thanks for the link Mrs Q. Robyn was very well spoken and so obviously attached to her subject!
Kristy
Kristy, an interesting place to start might be http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/ . They are Australia based and have been dealing with the food addatives for a long, long time. My partner was raised on the Feingold died that inspired some of it for part of her life, and we've found the Failsafe stuff to be helpful, if somewhat extreme at times. But they have some really good guides as to what is in various Australian foods that you can then decide for yourself what to ingest or avoid. 🙂