FDA wants Further Study on Food Dye Linkage to ADHD

A Food and Drug Administration committee concluded Thursday that there is still insufficient evidence supporting the relationship between artificial food dyes and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  While, the FDA won’t make any recommendations to ban or limit the use of artificial colors in foods, the committee did state that further research on the effects of food dyes on children is needed.

There are currently eight artificial dyes being used in the United States.  These dyes can be found in everything from candy to frozen or boxed dinners.  Many European companies have switched to natural coloring methods, even in such candies as Skittles and Starburst.

A question that comes to my mind is, whether food dyes cause or worsen ADHD symptoms or not, do we really want to be putting artificial material into our children’s bodies, just because it looks pretty and is easily accessible?  If you read the labels on food, you will probably be surprised at how many items contain artificial colors.  Yet is the amount of coloring found in each food enough to do harm to our children’s bodies?  Is it worth taking the extra precautions and spending the extra money to keep artificial colors out of our children’s food?

Megan Boyer