 Hey, what's up? I'm Marin, and I'm a contributor here at Food Unfolded. I'm also a microbiologist, so I'm interested in all the tiny unseen things that make our world what it is. And today, we're talking about something tiny that is actually remarkably visible and highly controversial. That's artificial food coloring. That means any compound that's been produced synthetically and added to a food product to alter its color and make it more visually pleasing. These artificial colorants fall under the umbrella of food additives. That's anything added to a food that isn't there for nutritional purposes. So maybe it's there to keep the food stable or make it look pretty. Artificial food dyes have names like red number 40, blue number 1, and yellow number 6. Although in the EU, they're listed by their E number, like E 110, E 104, E 102. Originally, these colorants were derived from coal tar, but they're now synthesized from petroleum. And they're much easier and cheaper to mass produce compared to natural food colorants. They also have a longer shelf life, meaning they stay stable and vibrant longer than their natural alternatives. These food colorants do their job the way any pigment does. Their molecular structure allows them to absorb some wavelengths of light and not others. The wavelengths of light they don't absorb, that's the color that we see. But the big question is, are they safe to eat? And this is where it gets murky. Now, with all of what I'm about to say, keep in mind, because children are smaller, anything they consume is going to have an outsized effect on them compared to an adult. But several highly publicized studies have suggested a link between artificial food coloring and hyperactive behavior in some specific populations of children. But these studies were small and relatively flawed in some ways. So the research here is still quite tenuous and most experts agree that there's not enough strong evidence yet to determine a causal link. Now, despite this, the EU and the UK still require that foods containing the food colorants that were tested in these studies carry a warning label that these additives may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. Many manufacturers have also removed the artificial coloring from their products, not because of safety data, but in response to a consumer desire for more natural products. Now, this in turn reinforces the idea that artificial colorants must be unhealthy if big companies are getting rid of them, even though that's not necessarily solidly backed by the science. But here's what we do know for sure. At least four artificial dyes are known to cause allergic reactions in a very small percentage of people. A few limited studies have also looked into the possible carcinogenic effects of synthetic food pigments. That's their ability to cause cancer. Now, this research has only been conducted in rodents so far, but in some of these studies, when animals were fed huge doses of certain artificial food colorings, they did develop tumors. Now, keep in mind, these doses are many times greater than the acceptable daily intake, or ADI, that has been approved for human consumption. But these studies certainly mean that further investigation is warranted. Now, some competing studies have investigated the levels of artificial food colorants that are consumed by the general population in the US, for example, and have found that the ADI fell well within the safety limits that have been put forward by the joint WHO FAO Committee on Food Additives. But many of these studies were funded by bodies like members of the International Association of Color Manufacturers, and that calls the legitimacy of these studies into question. Now, regardless, most scientists in this field agree that as the data stands right now, we need more unbiased research into food colorings' full effects on behavior and health. But one trend that is irrefutable is that brightly colored foods are inherently more appealing, especially to children. Vivid artificial color also usually indicates that the food is highly processed, and likely contains higher levels of sugar, saturated fat, or both. So while the research doesn't clearly tell us whether the colorants themselves are that bad for you, the foods they're in aren't necessarily great for you to consume in large quantities anyway. In response to all of this, many advocates argue that the switch needs to be made to natural alternatives, which, as the name would suggest, occur in foods naturally and just need to be extracted. That's things like the yellow pigment from saffron or the magenta juice that comes from beets. Those can be used to color other foods. But it's important to remember that just because something is natural, that doesn't inherently make it safer. And in some cases, there's really no distinction at all between the artificial and the natural. Beta keratin, for example, which is an orange pigment, is exactly the same whether it is derived from a carrot or synthesized in a lab. In fact, many natural colors are also known allergens. One popular natural colorant is made from the red pigment of crushed insect shells. It's called carmine, and it's known to be the biggest culprit of all of the natural colorants to cause severe allergic reactions. And there's even less research into these natural options than there is into their artificial counterparts, even though the scanty evidence we do have suggests that natural versions can also cause issues. So if our understanding of these additives is still so in flux, the question remains, why do we use them at all? They are only in foods for cosmetic purposes, to attract the consumer to buy the product. And every country in the world has its own set of regulations around which colorants are allowed, and that only adds to the confusion. Red 40, for example, is banned in many European countries, but it's still commonly used in the US. So what if we as consumers continue to demand that companies and health agencies do more research and communicate those results clearly? If we ask regulatory bodies to require more stringent guidelines for additive usage, maybe eventually we'll get to the bottom of this, or at least maybe we'll see more of the food on our shelves showing their true colors. Thanks so much for watching. If you want more, you can find Food Unfolded on YouTube, and I'm on there, too, at Marin Huntsburger.