Artificial Colors to Come with a Warning

[Erik]

http://bp1.blogger.com/_gEXGWBbJrqM/SHUxBRe58_I/AAAAAAAAANQ/gWcLMdFsgls/s400/artificial.jpg

Just another reason to demand quality from the foods you choose to eat...


The European Parliament has adopted a legislative package that will see products containing any of six artificial colours labelled with a health warning for children.

Foods containing tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124) and allura red (E129), will have to be labelled "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

The scary thing is not that foods with these colorants now carry a warning, it's that these colors have been in our foods for decades.

If the ingredients in a food do not sound like things you would normally find in a kitchen, do not eat that food...it is becoming clear that this may be the best way to make good food choices.

[sarahlou]

There are lots of strange things in our food. What amazes me isn't that these things are there. Give the producers credit they do list this stuff on the nutrition labels. It is that we, the public, don't seem to care and that we only throw our hands up in the air when we suspect "chemicals."

I will give you an example: Fiber One bars. Low fat so delicious, right? read the ingredients list on the chocolate chip ones next time. You will find delicious shellac listed there. For those of you who don't know (and I bet that is most of you) shellac is exactly what you thought it was the same stuff used to make your furniture and other things nice and shiny. What is shellac, the secretion of an insect (lac-family hence the name shellac).

Another common ingredient in most lipsticks and foods that are red or pink in color: cochineal - familiar with this one? extracted from poor insects again, cute little red bugs from Mexico and South America. Good news because everyone is so scared of the "artificial" dyes, manufacturers are killing more bugs these days to color your food and lipstick.

Nice huh?

[sarahlou]

oh and if you were wondering why Fiber One uses shellac (it is only in the chocolate chip bars): It is used to coat the tiny chocolate chips for aesthetic reasons - so they look apetizing and so they don't melt in transit.

[strive4more]

http://bp1.blogger.com/_gEXGWBbJrqM/SHUxBRe58_I/AAAAAAAAANQ/gWcLMdFsgls/s400/artificial.jpg

Just another reason to demand quality from the foods you choose to eat...



The scary thing is not that foods with these colorants now carry a warning, it's that these colors have been in our foods for decades.

If the ingredients in a food do not sound like things you would normally find in a kitchen, do not eat that food...it is becoming clear that this may be the best way to make good food choices.

My son had to see a nutritionist when he was a toddler. She said no way to red dye. I wanted to give my son a vitamin and she recommended one without red dye. When I gave my son a vitamin he wouldn't sleep. (w/ red dye in it)

I really focused in on red dye. It was in so much stuff!!!

[sarahlou]

Another place most folks don't think of in terms of dyes and additives are supplements. The manufacturers of even "natural" brands use artificial dyes and sugar substitutes in vitamins and supplements all the time. Best part is they don't have to list it because most of the supplements aren't regulated.