A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel (FDA) is opening a two-day meeting on the link between artificial food dyes and hyperactivity in children. These dyes are used to color the cereals and snacks for children.
Center for Science in the Public Interest representative Michael Jacobson said there was “confusing and inconsistent literature” on the subject and no convincing evidence of “no harm” to the children in the studies. Jacobson said the dyes serve no purpose, such as preserving food or adding nutrition, and as such would not be missed and should be banned from the food supply. He urged for warning labels if not a ban. FDA lawyer Jessica O'Connell agreed that it could be a possibility. “Why accept any impairment of kids' behavior whatsoever? Hyperactivity isn't just running around. It affects their ability to have friends, to study, to have a happy family life. Why impair that?” said Michael Jacobson. Dr. Charles Voorhees noted most research tested a mixture of dyes rather than each color separately. “Doesn't it strike you that we don't have enough information about the dyes individually?” asked Voorhees, a professor of pediatrics and environmental health at the University of Cincinnati.
Bernard Weiss, a University of Rochester scientist and author of a 1980 study about food dye and hyperactivity, did not agree that the information is inconsistent. His study was conducted with the physician Ben Feingold, who pioneered the elimination of dyes as a treatment for behavior problems in children. Weiss expressed his surprise that FDA's initial response to the 2007 study showing a link between food dye and hyperactivity was unenthusiastic. The FDA said the study gave them “no reason to change our conclusions” that the ingredients tested “are safe for the general population.”
The meeting of the FDA panel, which includes experts ranging from pediatrics to toxicology to nutrition, continues Thursday with a presentation from the International Association of Color Manufacturers and the FDA's evaluation of the studies. The committee will then respond with its advice for the FDA. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects up to 5 percent of U.S. children, according to government statistics.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food producers and packagers, said in a statement “all of the major safety bodies globally have reviewed the available science and have determined that there is no demonstrable link between artificial colors and hyperactivity among children.”
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