Valentine's Day Candy
- Monday, 13 February 2012
Red is the Color of Valentine’s Day …and much of the candy that goes with it. The dyes – whether artificial or natural – that produce red pigments such as those used in candy, and especially Valentine’s Day candy, are linked with allergies and worse. Watch out for these ingredients in particular:
FD&C Red No. 40 – Allura Red AC1, E129 (red shade). Made mostly from petroleum, this dye can cause allergy-like reactionsIand hasbeen linked to hyperactivity in children.2 It’s also a potential carcinogen.
FD&C Red No. 3 – Erythrosine3. Exposure to high dosesof this dyehasbeen shown to cause cancer in lab animals.4
Carmine, a crimson-red color made from the scales of the cochineal insect, has been linked with allergic reactions.
Want to learn more about the dangerous ingredients in your junk food? Check out our book, Unjunk Your Junk Food.
1CSPI, Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks. Accessed viacspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf
2Huxsahl, John E. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/AN01721
3CSPI, Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks. Accessed viacspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf
4F.D.A Limits Red Dye No. 3. The New York Times. 1990. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/30/science/fda-limits-red-dye-no-3.html
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