It’s no secret that children should limit their candy intake, but not just because of the risks of high sugar intake. Since the FDA last examined the health risks of petroleum-based food dyes in 2011, there have been at least eight scientific studies concluding that these artificial dyes pose a significant risk to children’s health nervous system health. Candies that include these dyes are attractive to vegan diets for their lack of animal products, but still pose health risks related to added petrochemicals. Such vegan sweets include Airheads, Lemonheads, Hubba Bubba Gum, Smarties, both Twizzlers and Red Vines, Swedish Fish and many others. In fact, almost all American name-brand candies, vegan or otherwise have at least one type of petroleum-based artificial coloring.
Several scientific peer-reviewed studies found that petroleum-derived food dyes were linked to a number of behavioral issues in children, including hyperactivity. This study and others have led European lawmakers to mandate warning labels on many of the artificial dyes we still use unhindered in North America. As a result, many European food producers offer either all-natural or dye-free equivalents to our petroleum-laden sweets.
Why hasn’t America, and specifically the FDA, picked up on the trend? The multi-million dollar oil lobby is likely to blame. A Google search of “petrochemicals in candy,” returns a slew of results from petroleum lobbying groups like the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers arguing in favor of petroleum’s use as a preservative in sweets, despite its proven adverse health effects. This spread of misinformation illustrates the extent to which groups like AFPM influence the FDA and, by proxy, the American diet.
However, there is still plenty you can do to improve your family’s health by reducing artificial dye consumption. Many parents of hyperactive children saw a significant improvement in behavior-related issues after switching to a dye-free diet. When buying a sweet treat for your child, look for all-natural candies at your local health food store, farmers’ market, or European market and avoid dyes like Red #40, Blue #1, Yellow #5, Yellow #6.
#vegancandy #allnaturalcandy
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