Synthetic Food Dye on FDA’s Radar

Could FDA make a move to ban synthetic food dyes? According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the agency has scheduled a March hearing to discuss whether these dyes may be risky to the health of young children.

Some have posited that synthetic food dyes may be associated with childhood behavioral problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; however, evidence of this is not conclusive. To date, FDA has maintained that no evidence exists linking synthetic food dyes to hyperactivity.

The agency’s attention to the matter is being spurred by groups such as The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which “is asking the agency for a synthetic food-dye ban and to place warnings on products until colors are removed,” the Tribune reports. It also adds that the European Parliament last year began requiring warning labels on products containing synthetic dyes, stating that “consumption may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”