In the crusade at reduce chronic diseases And neuro-baby-navore problems in the United States, synthetic food dyes are a hot target.
California began to pave the way for legislation against oil -based synthetic Dyes a few years ago, based on health problems, including an increase Risk of cancer And Neurobehavioral problems in children and animals. Governor Gavin Newsom Dye Rouge prohibited n ° 3 in 2023 and six other common dyes of School food in 2024. Since then, 25 other states have followed the traces of California with legislation – some signothers Still in progress – This prohibits, restricted or requires labels for food colors.
Some states legislators have been inspired by examining artificial food dyes by “Make America healthy»Movement launched by the American Secretary for Health and Social Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the US Food and Drug Administration announced in April its plans has work with industry To eliminate the use of oil -based synthetic dyes in food supply.
But experts find important for political decision -makers and the public to remember that dyes are just one element of very designed Ultra -proposed foods. Consequently, “the elimination of synthetic food dyes does not automatically transform products into healthy foods or drinks,” said Dr. Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health and management at the New York University School of Global Public Health, by e-mail.
A new study helps to quantify the feeling of Pomeranz, noting that food and drinks with synthetic dyes contained 141% total sugar more on average compared to products without synthetic dyes. Sodium and saturated fats were however lower in food with dyes, according to the Study published Wednesday In the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The results indicate that synthetic dietary dyes can be considered a “red flag” for a product that is probably less healthy, said Dr. David Andrews, Director of Acting Sciences at the Environment Working Group, an organization for the defense of health and the non-profit environment by e-mail. Andrews was not involved in the study.
The remaining problems with ultra -proposed food
Like many legislators legislating against food dyes, the continuation of this research by Dr. Elizabeth Dunford was motivated by Dr. Elizabeth Dunford, both by “personal and professional curiosity,” she said by e-mail.
“I am a mother of two young children – aged 7 and 5 – and I certainly notice changes in behavior, in my son in particular, after having eaten or drunk colorful sweet products with synthetic dyes,” said Dunford, consultant for the Division of the food policy of George Institute for Global Health. “But my main field of professional research is also to examine the health of food supplies, with a specific interest in the profiling of nutrients and the use of food additives.”
Ultra -intensive foods, or UPF, include up to 70% of American food supply and are made with industrial techniques and ingredients “never or rarely used in kitchens”, according to the Organization of food and agriculture of the United Nations. These foods are generally low in fiber and rich in calories, added sugar, refined grains and fats, sodium and additives,, All are designed to help make food more attractive.
Additives often include Conservatives to maintain freshness and texture or withstand mold and bacteria, and emulsifying to prevent ingredients from naturally separating. Other current additives include exhaustiers and perfume agents and flavors for anti-mosquito net, whitening, swelling, gelification and glazing.
Numerous studies published in recent decades have linked the consumption of ultra -proposed foods to diseases or health problems including type 2 diabetes,, cardiovascular diseaseobesity, premature death, cancerdepression, cognitive decline, stroke and sleep disorders. And the risks of some of these problems are starting to Just a daily service ultra -forecuic foods, according to in several studies. This proof is to know why some of the states with laws or invoices restricting food dyes have included popular additives, such as Slotted vegetable oil Or propylparaben.
This is also why experts warn against the consumption of such foods even if they are Colorful with natural dyesWhat industry moves towards federal and state pressure. The Governor of Texas Greg Abbott signed on Sunday Main legislation This requires labels on food or drinks containing 44 dyes or additives.
In addition, the Kraft Heinz Company will eliminate synthetic dyes from around 10% of its American portfolio which still contains them before the end of 2027. Nestlé will do the same in the next year, the company told CNN on Wednesday.
“The percentage of products with synthetic dyes is much lower than the percentage of UPF products, so the natural colors allowing the overalling of the UPF are a problem,” said Dr. Jerold Mande, CEO of Nourish Science, a non-governmental organization focused on nutritional crises in the United States, by email. Mande was not involved in the study.
The main objective of the new study led by Dunford was to measure the use of synthetic dyes in 39,763 food products and drinks sold by the 25 main manufacturers in the United States, using the 2020 data from Label Insight, an Nielseniq company for product information.
Up to 19%, or 1 in 5, products contained between one and seven synthetic dyes, revealed the researchers. The most used artificial coloring was red color n ° 40, followed by red dye n ° 3 and blue color n ° 1.
Food categories with the highest use of dyes were sports drinks (79%), drinks concentrates (71%) and confectionery (54%). “The carbonated drinks represented the largest proportion of total sales of products containing synthetic dyes (30%), because it is the best -selling category,” wrote the authors.
But some manufacturers have stressed that Changes on the market since 2020 can have an impact on current percentages. Always, Colors are always an important part of the food system, and many of these products remain on the market.
To a certain extent, the study is probably still “a good image of the landscape, because it is generally necessary 18 months to large companies to change their supply chain to allow reformulation,” said Mande, who is also a auxiliary professor at the Harvard Th Chan School of Public Health.
Research also provides reference information for the light change of national projectors on the elimination of certain food supply dyes, in particular schools, said Pomeranz, which was not involved in the study.
“It is essential that regulatory organizations continue to prioritize research that is evaluated by peers and relevant to human health and security,” said Sarah Gallo, principal vice-president of the consumer Brands Association products. “The creators of American household brands are constantly innovating to meet consumer demand and offer a number of product options with natural ingredients on the market.” The association represents the food industry.
“In addition, industry has invested in consumer transparency tools like Smartlabel And Facts in advance So that families can examine the ingredients of products and nutritional information and make them the best decisions, ”added Gallo.
People concerned about food colors and ultra -revised foods should move to whole foods and unwedded drinks far from food and ultra -approved drinks Given the high costsSaid Pomeranz.
Increase your intake of whole fruits, vegetables, cereals, nuts and seeds and legumes. You should also be aware of the amount of sodium you eat and how certain foods make you feel – ultra -proposed food can keep you more, while whole foods are more satisfactory.
Read the ingredient labels when shopping, experts said. “One thing that surprised me was the presence of synthetic dyes in products that I did not expect them – like single hot dog breads, taco shells, bagels, waffles, etc.,” said Dunford, assistant deputy professor in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Some experts argued that To really improve The health of the country, it also takes a wider emphasis on the more accessible meeting of healthy foods.
However, the Maha movement “has made chronic disease caused by the large restoration a political priority. It is a change in political game, ”said Mande. “Concentrating on colors is a reasonable first step to disrupt the ultra-formulating food business model.”
But “Maha will have to take ultra-formulations more directly, for example, limit them in school meals, to succeed in improving the health of children,” he added.
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Sandee Lamotte of CNN contributed to this story.