Back to School: What Is Really Making Your Child’s Food So Red?

Back to school means lunchboxes, snacks and plenty of colourful foods competing for our children’s attention. Red candies, chips, cereals, gummies, popsicles and fruit-flavoured snacks are especially appealing.

But where is that colour actually coming from?

As a mother of four and a chemist and toxicologist, reading ingredient lists was an important part of raising my family. My children sometimes fussed about my choices when they were young. Today, they thank me.

Meet Red 40

FD&C Red No. 40, also known as Allura Red AC, is a synthetic food colouring used to create shades of red, pink and orange. It is manufactured through chemical processes that use petroleum-derived raw materials.

Red 40 can be found in candies, gummies, cereals, some flavoured chips and savoury snacks, frosting, popsicles, gelatin desserts, baked goods, colourful drinks and other processed foods.

What Does the Research Say?

The concern about synthetic food dyes goes beyond ADHD or hyperactivity.

A major 2021 scientific assessment by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) concluded that synthetic food dyes can impact neurobehavior in some children.

Human studies have associated synthetic food dyes with changes in activity, attention and behaviour in some children. Animal studies raise additional concerns involving learning, memory, brain chemistry and other neurological changes.

Some important findings include:

• Animal studies found changes in activity, learning, memory and brain chemistry after exposure to several synthetic dyes, including Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1.
• The animal findings generally support observations from studies in children that synthetic food dyes may contribute to behavioural changes.
• Human studies often tested several dyes together, so researchers cannot say that Red 40 alone is responsible. However, there is comparatively more animal evidence concerning Red 40, Red 3 and Yellow 5.
• Red 40 had the highest estimated exposure among the dyes studied, followed by Yellow 6 and Yellow 5. Children generally had higher exposure relative to their body weight than adults.
• For children, fruit juice drinks and soft drinks were the main sources of Red 40 exposure identified in the analysis.
• The report raises concerns that some older FDA safety limits were based on animal studies that were not designed to detect the kinds of behavioural and neurological effects examined in more recent research.
• OEHHA ultimately concluded that synthetic food dyes can affect neurobehavior in some children and recommended reducing children’s exposure while further research continues.

This does not mean that Red 40 causes ADHD, memory problems or neurological disorders. But the research raises questions that go beyond hyperactivity alone and supports being mindful of children’s exposure to synthetic food dyes.

Canada and the U.S. vs. Europe

There is an interesting difference in how these concerns are communicated to parents.

Canada and the United States permit Red 40 without requiring the specific warning about children’s activity and attention that is required in Europe.

In Canada, Allura Red, the Canadian name for Red 40, remains an approved food colour. Health Canada requires food colours to be identified in ingredient lists and currently states that it considers the available evidence insufficient to demonstrate that synthetic food colours cause neurobehavioural effects.

Europe takes a more precautionary approach to labelling.

European regulations require foods containing six specified synthetic colours, including Allura Red AC, E129, also known as Red 40, to carry the warning:

“May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

The six colours are:

• Sunset Yellow FCF, E110
• Quinoline Yellow, E104
• Carmoisine, E122
• Allura Red AC, E129, or Red 40
• Tartrazine, E102
• Ponceau 4R, E124

It is important to note that these colours are not all banned in Europe. Rather, Europe requires this additional warning on foods containing them, with limited regulatory exceptions.

For parents, this difference is worth knowing. It is another reason to read ingredient lists and choose naturally colourful foods whenever possible.

Colour Their Food Naturally With Beetroot

Children love colours. We don’t have to take them away. We can change where the colours come from and get extra benefits.

Many fruits and vegetables bring beautiful natural colours to our plates while also providing important nutrients and beneficial plant compounds.

One of these is beetroot.

Beetroot gets its beautiful red and purple colour from natural pigments called betalains.

Try beetroot or beetroot powder in:

• Smoothies
• Hummus
• Pancakes and waffles
• Yogurt and oatmeal
• Homemade popsicles
• Muffins
• Pasta and sauces

Benefits of Beetroot

• Rich in betalains, natural pigments with antioxidant properties
• Natural source of dietary nitrates
• Provides folate and potassium
• Provides fibre when the whole food is retained
• Contains naturally occurring antioxidant plant compounds
• Naturally creates beautiful red, pink and purple foods

Instead of simply adding synthetic colour, beetroot lets us add colour and nutrition.

My children did not always understand my choices when they were young. There was fussing, especially when they saw what their friends were eating. But I stayed consistent.

Today, my four children are older, and they thank me.

This back-to-school season, teach children to read ingredients and show them how colourful real food can be.

Make the smoothie pink. Make the hummus bright red. Make the pancakes colourful. Let nature provide the colour.