Food Colourants

Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40

As their names suggest, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40 are food dyes, and they are used to make sugary junk food like candy, cookies, and cakes look colorful and appealing. They are also used to add color to more surprising foods, like yogurt cups, breakfast cereals, and snack packs of sunflower seeds. While many other artificial and “natural” colors are added to foods, these three are the most problematic among a group of synthetic chemicals called FD&C (Food Drugs and Cosmetic Act) colors. Skittles contain the entire rainbow.

While the body of research linking FD&C colors to conditions like ADHD and hyperactivity in children is still inconclusive, in 2021, scientists in the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment released the results of a 2018–2020 evaluation of the chemicals. They found that while children vary in their sensitivity, overall, “consumption of synthetic food dyes can result in hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems,” such as inattentiveness and restlessness. Those symptoms are often components of an ADHD diagnosis. They also determined that the limits on how much of these colors companies can add to food set by the FDA were based on old data and are no longer adequate to protect children.

In addition, a 2012 review of FD&C dyes and toxicity found that these three—Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40—have been shown to be contaminated with carcinogens in past studies. A 2010 report completed by CSPI found Yellow 5 was positive for genotoxicity—DNA damage associated with cancer risk—in six out of eleven studies reviewed by researchers.

Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40 are authorized for use in the European Union member states, but companies must include a warning on food labels that reads “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

While some potentially concerning additives are allowed in the food supply, and getting used to reading labels is important, it’s helpful to remember that a diet composed of primarily unprocessed foods is already a great way to avoid the bulk of these additives.