Artificial Food Dyes: Why Are People Avoiding Red 40?

Say "artificial food dyes" and someone will inevitably start screaming about Red 40 (or FD&C Red 40 if they're really obsessive). Are these dyes really poisoning our children? Is natural food coloring better, or might there be unintended environmental consequences? Join us as we look at everything from MAHA to McGill University to get to the bottom of artificial colors.

Sources

• The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/08/white-food-dye-titanium-dioxide-maha/683806/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
• International Dairy Foods Assoc: https://www.idfa.org/idfa-ice-cream-commitment
• Make America Healthy Again report: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf
• FDA: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-fda-phase-out-petroleum-based-synthetic-dyes-nations-food-supply
• Yahoo News: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-calls-rfk-jr-three-211918075.html
• UPMC HealthBeat: https://share.upmc.com/2024/07/is-red-food-dye-bad-for-kids/
• UC Berkeley Public Health: https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/new-report-shows-artificial-food-coloring-causes-hyperactivity-in-some-kids
• Michigan State University Today: https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/07/ask-the-expert-whats-the-problem-with-artificial-food-dyes
• McGill University Office for Science and Society: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/food-health-news/food-dyes-science
• NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/no-artificial-dyes-atkinson-candy-company-replace-natural-colors-rfk-rcna220485
• Foods (Journal): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10093929/

Patreon: patreon.com/greeningupmyact
Instagram: @greeningupmyact
Facebook: Greening Up My Act
Email us with questions: [e-mail]
YouTube: Greening Up My Act