Food Dyes in Canada
As a baker I had clients who asked for dye-free Red Velvet cake (which can be done but isn’t quite the same) and I never really understood the importance. When ADHD came along I heard people talk of the bad food dyes a lot more, with some parents even saying they cured their childs ADHD by removing artificial colors from their childrens’ diets. In my looking I found that many studies do show that artificial food dyes can affect children’s behavior.
In my search for answers I found an interesting article in Parents Canada that brought to light the fact that food dyes that are banned in other countries are permitted in Canada. Could this be? Here I always thought Canada had higher food standards than the United States and European countries. How did this happen?
The article brings to light that decades ago artificial colouring was not a concern for most families. The foods that contained dyes were only consumed rarely and every day food was made from scratch. But with modernized and convenient processed food became popular artificial dyes became a ‘food staple industry’.
In the U.S. food dyes consumed by children went from 12 milligrams per child per day in 1950 to 68 milligrams per day in 2012. The study points out that Canadian figures are likely similar.
As noted in our previous post Food & ADHD it all began with Dr. Benjamin Feingold, who suggested certain food ingredient (like artificial colors and flavors) could affect children’s behavior. Although he was thought of as crazy for forty years, further research supported Dr. Feingold’s claims. As support for his theories rose, so did the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD and medication being used in their treatment. These increases led to more studies including one in Britain that prompted the British government to urge food manufacturers to stop using the dyes tested in the studies, notably Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. They took safety a step further when they also advised consumers to eliminate certain food dyes from the diets of children showing signs of ADHD or hyperactivity.
In the European Union foods containing certain dyes must carry notices that ‘adverse effects on activity and attention in children’.
In Canada, manufacturers have the option of declaring colours by name or by the general term “colour”. From what I can tell at the time the article was published Health Canada was in the process of proposing that food labels would have to note food dyes by their common name, rather than the general term ‘colour’. As of this article I could not find any evidence that this has come into effect. So not only is anything being done to help educate consumers, the very same food companies producing and selling products ‘artificial dye free’ in Britain and Europe, are selling the same products containing artificial colours to Canadians.
If you think your children might be affected by artificial additives speak to your healthcare provider about a potential non-process ‘clean’ diet for your child.
Food Additives to Watch For
If your child is hyperactive or has ADHD here are some artificial food dyes to look out for next time your in the grocery store:
Yellow #6
Yellow #5
Sodium Benzoate
Red #40
Red #3
Orange B
Green #3
Blue #2
Blue #1
Read the full Parents Canada article here.
