CSPI Calls For Ban On Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6

One week after threatening to take the happy out of Happy Meals, the Center for Science in the Public Interest now wants to remove a few colors from the food dye rainbow, calling for the FDA to issue a ban on three colors it believes are bad for your health.

The colors being called out by the CSPI are Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, which it claims contain known carcinogens and contaminants.

Says a CSPI labcoat type:

These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional quality or safety of foods, but trigger behavior problems in children and, possibly, cancer in anybody… The Food and Drug Administration should ban dyes, which would force industry to color foods with real food ingredients, not toxic petrochemicals.

Not surprisingly, the Grocery Manufacturers Association has issued a statement affirming the safety of the dyes.

Even less of a shock, the FDA says — you’ll never believe this — that they’re taking it seriously:

We appreciate the report from CSPI and look forward to reviewing it. We take our commitment to protecting children seriously.

Group urges ban of 3 common dyes [CNN]

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