Why the U.S. Still Lets These Banned Food Dyes Slide

My childhood snacks looked like a rainbow, if it was neon, sour, or left your tongue red for hours, it was probably in my lunchbox. Back then, we didn’t think twice about it, the brighter the color, the better it tasted.

Now? Parents are reading ingredient lists like detectives, trust me, I’m one of them. Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, are the colors of my childhood, but have now become public enemy number one. artificial color

And honestly, it’s not hard to see why. Every year, a new study drops about the possible links between artificial dyes and hyperactivity, allergies, or long-term health effects. It’s enough to make anyone second-guess those rainbow cereals we once ate by the spoonful.

Other Countries Ditched These Ingredients Years Ago

The U.S. is way behind on this. Countries like the U.K. and much of Europe banned several synthetic dyes years ago, replacing them with natural coloring from turmeric, beet juice, and paprika extract.

Meanwhile, America’s still letting the same additives slide through the FDA without blinking an eye but parents who ante those same dyes are starting to notice and speak up.

Between California’s new food safety law and the growing push to remove Red Dye #3 and other dyes nationwide, it’s starting to look like change might actually be on the horizon.

Maybe one day soon, our kids will still get their neon snacks just without the ingredient labels that sound like a science experiment.

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