That artificial food dyes（染料） are unhealthy is not news. Some are known to cause hyperactivity（多动症） in some children, affecting their ability to learn. But regulatory agencies around the world don't necessarily agree on which food dyes are a problem, or why. That may soon change. An 2021 peer-reviewed report by California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that artificial food dyes "cause or worsen neurobehavioral problems in some children" and that the current levels regarded safe for consumption by the federal government are too high.
California is now considering requiring warning labels on food products and dietary supplements containing the seven most commonly used artificial dyes. The warning label requirement would put California on par with the European Union, which since 2010 has required food products containing certain artificial food dyes to carry warning labels about their negative effect on activity and attention in children.
Artificial dyes are used in foods for one reason: to make products look prettier. Bright colors make candies appealing, especially to kids. But dyes are also in chocolate cake mixes, sala dressings and other products that don't seem to cry out for a color boost.
In Europe, it was the 2010 label lawmaking that triggered companies' decisions to reformulate. "If you're a company, you do not want to put a warning label on your product," says Lefferts, an environmental health consultant. Warning labels are why European Starburst Fruit Chews are now colored with natural products, not the artificial dyes that brighten their North American counterparts（同类商品）.
Given that artificial food dyes are excessively used, we need to be more cautious. After all, we don't dye fresh fruits and vegetables, but we do dye candy and sprinkles, points out Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. "The foods in which you find food dyes are foods that are poor in nutrition," he says. "If you limit foods that contain food dyes, you automatically make your diet better."
