WASHINGTON — Many parents have heard the warnings about overloading kids with sugar, but there may be something in food that’s even worse.
Artificial food dyes are showing up in disturbing amounts of things such as popsicles, Jello, pudding and even macaroni and cheese. Boston Globe health blogger Deborah Kotz told WTOP’s Lori Lundin that food dyes are “not on a lot of parents’ radars.”
Kotz says the Food and Drug Administration requires food dyes be listed on labels, but don’t require manufacturers to list the amount.
Researchers who analyzed the amount of dyes by weight and found that, “When you add them all together, there’s a disturbingly high amount,” Kotz says. “Our kids are eating a lot more than we used to.”
The researchers think the dyes might be contributing to behavioral problems in some children.
“Foods that are high in sugar are also high in food dyes, [so] it’s probably best to just avoid these foods and stick to the natural ones,” Kotz says.
For more information about food dyes and color additives and the regulations, go to the FDA website.
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