per wikipedia food color

Seven dyes were initially approved under the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, but several have been delisted and replacements have been found.^[3]

[edit] Current seven

In the USA, the following seven artificial colorings are permitted in food (the most common in bold) as of 2007^[update]:

• FD&C Blue No. 1 – Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (blue shade)
• FD&C Blue No. 2 – Indigotine, E132 (indigo shade)
• FD&C Green No. 3 – Fast Green FCF, E143 (turquoise shade)
• FD&C Red No. 40 – Allura Red AC, E129 (red shade)
• FD&C Red No. 3 – Erythrosine, E127 (pink shade, commonly used in glacé cherries)^[4]
• FD&C Yellow No. 5 – Tartrazine, E102 (yellow shade)
• FD&C Yellow No. 6 – Sunset Yellow FCF, E110 (orange shade)

The above are known as "primary colors"; when they are mixed to produce other colors, those colors are then known as "secondary colors".

[edit] Delisted

• FD&C Red No. 2 – Amaranth
• FD&C Red No. 4^[5][6]
• FD&C Red No. 32‎ was used to color Florida oranges.^[3][5]
• FD&C Orange No. 1 was one of the first water soluble dyes to be commercialized, and one of seven original food dyes allowed under the Pure Food and Drug Act of June 30, 1906.^[3][5]
• FD&C Orange No. 2‎ was used to color Florida oranges.^[3]
• FD&C Yellows No. 1, 2, 3, and 4^[5]
• FD&C Violet No. 1^[5]

[edit] Dyes and lakes

Color additives are available for use in food as either "dyes" or lake pigments (commonly known as "lakes").
Dyes dissolve in water, but are not soluble in oil. Dyes are manufactured as powders, granules, liquids or other special purpose forms. They can be used in beverages, dry mixes, baked goods, confections, dairy products, pet foods, and a variety of other products. Dyes also have side effects which lakes do not, including the fact that large amounts of dyes ingested can color stools.
Lakes are made by combining dyes with salts to make insoluble compounds. Lakes tint by dispersion. Lakes are not oil soluble, but are oil dispersible. Lakes are more stable than dyes and are ideal for coloring products containing fats and oils or items lacking sufficient moisture to dissolve dyes. Typical uses include coated tablets, cake and doughnut mixes, hard candies and chewing gums, lipsticks, soaps, shampoos, talc, etc.

[edit] Other uses

Because food dyes are generally safer to use than normal artists' dyes and pigments, some artists have used food coloring as a means of making pictures, especially in forms such as body-painting.
Food colorings can be used to dye fabric, but are usually not wash-fast when used on cotton, hemp and other plant fibers. Some food dyes can be fixed on Nylon and animal fibers. Red food dye is often used as theatrical blood.

[edit] Criticism and health implications

Though past research showed no correlation between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and food dyes,^[7][8] new studies now point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents as aggravating ADD and ADHD symptoms, both in those affected by these disorders and in the general population.^[9][10] Older studies were inconclusive, quite possibly due to inadequate clinical methods of measuring offending behavior. Parental reports were more accurate indicators of the presence of additives than clinical tests.^[11] Several major studies show academic performance increased and disciplinary problems decreased in large non-ADD student populations when artificial ingredients, including artificial colors, were eliminated from school food programs.^[12][13]

• Norway banned all products containing coal tar and coal tar derivatives in 1978. New legislation lifted this ban in 2001 after EU regulations. As such, many FD&C approved colorings have been banned.
• Tartrazine causes hives in less than 0.01% of those exposed to it.^[2]
• Erythrosine is linked to thyroid tumors in rats.^[14]
• Cochineal, also known as carmine, is derived from insects and therefore is neither vegan nor vegetarian nor kosher. It has also been known to cause severe, even life-threatening, allergic reactions in rare cases.^[15]

This criticism originated during the 1950s. In effect, many foods that used dye (such as red velvet cake) became less popular.
Brilliant Blue (BBG) food coloring was cited in a recent study in which rats that had suffered a spinal injury were given an injection of the dye immediately after the injury, and were able to regain or retain motor control. BBG helps protect spine from ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which the body sends to the area after a spinal injury, which further damages the spine by killing motor neurons at the site of the injury.^[16]