Why Petroleum-Based Yellow Food Dye, Targeted by RFK Jr., Poses Hidden Risks to Children

Tartrazine took the spotlight in a recent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. video and was one of six dyes recently banned from food served in California schools.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

Parents may be surprised that everyday foods they feed their children—including cereals, chips, pastries, pudding mixes, and soups—contain a synthetic yellow dye. This dye can be present even if the foods aren’t bright yellow.

Tartrazine, or yellow 5, is a dye derived from coal tar that is often added to make foods look more appealing. The dye is also found in a number of non-food products such as medications, art supplies, beauty products, and fragrances.

For a small percentage of people, tartrazine can cause allergic reactions, particularly in those with asthma or aspirin sensitivity. Other concerns include hyperactivity in children, cancer, and other toxic effects in large doses.

Lately, tartrazine has come under the microscope—first as one of the six dyes banned in September from school food in California. Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at tartrazine in a video he shared in mid-October. Now that Kennedy’s been picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services under the next Trump administration, yellow 5 could be history.

Among the Top Food Dyes

Yellow 5 and 6 and red 40 are all azo dyes—synthetic colorants without nutritional, health, or food preservation benefits.

“They also happen to be the top three dyes used in foods in the United States, accounting for more than 90 percent of dyes certified for use in food,” Lisa Lefferts, environmental health consultant, told The Epoch Times in an email.

All three dyes are chemically related and have been well studied, she said. However, yellow 5 is the only azo dye to have been tested independently in a double-blind study, according to Lefferts.

In the study, double-blind meant that neither the subjects nor the participants knew who was taking the dye and who was taking a placebo.

The Case for Banning

In a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 1994, 34 children aged between 2 and 14 were randomly given six different doses of tartrazine each morning for six weeks while 20 control subjects were given a placebo. Their behavior was recorded by parents, and 24 of the children were found to be “clear reactors,” experiencing symptoms such as irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbances at all dose levels. Doses above 10 milligrams were associated with a prolonged effect.

“This kind of ‘dose-response’ relationship is considered strong evidence of a true effect, as opposed to a random/spurious finding,” Lefferts said. “Most of the clinical trials of dyes only tested one dose, and we now know that many of those used doses that were rather low compared to what some children consume. So while I’d like to see all synthetic food dyes banned, the case for banning yellow 5 is particularly strong.”

In his video, Kennedy doesn’t explicitly state that he or Trump would ban tartrazine. Kennedy noted that while he was highlighting tartrazine, he could easily have made the video about red 40, potassium bromide, or as many as 100 chemical food additives. He did not respond to an interview request from The Epoch Times.

“If just one chemical can cause all these problems, imagine what they are doing in combination,” Kennedy said. “That’s never been studied.”

According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules, there is an “acceptable level” for yellow 5. It takes into account the weight of the child or adult exposed by diet, according to a report from California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which led to legislative bans of various synthetic dyes. However, this acceptable level doesn’t take into account newer research.

While it didn’t recommend a safe level of dyes, the OEHHA report included its own examination of children’s exposure levels compared to behavior problems. It noted that children’s exposure to synthetic dyes should be reduced. It stated that some of the effects of dyes on children are:

• Hyperactivity
• Inattentiveness
• Restlessness
• Sleeplessness
• Irritability
• Aggression

“If we took all these chemicals out, our nation would get healthier,” Kennedy said. “We’d have fewer sick days, we’d have better focus, we’d have less anxiety, our kids would learn more easily, we’d lose weight, and we’d have more energy, fewer tumors, and longer lives.”

How Dyes Get Banned

While the FDA has previously approved azo dyes, the agency has authority to remove them from its food additive list. It can be the result of public petitions or an internal review.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a petition to ban yellow 5 and other food dyes in 2008. The FDA has not responded to the petition or an Epoch Times interview request.

“Color additives are safe when used properly,” Dr. Linda Katz, director of the FDA’s office of cosmetics and colors, said in a 2023 news release. “There is no such thing as absolute safety of any substance. In the case of a new color additive, the FDA determines if there is ‘a reasonable certainty of no harm’ under the color additive’s proposed conditions of use.”

In 2018, the FDA banned seven synthetic food flavorings and enhancers as a result of a petition. Six of them caused cancer in animal studies, and according to a clause added to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1958, any food additive that causes cancer in humans or animals at any dose cannot be approved.

However, the FDA claimed that the additives—when used as intended—didn’t pose a risk. The agency said studies used to make the claim included much higher doses than the low level of exposure typically used in American foods.

Banning azo food dyes is a leading food policy request, with more than 15,000 votes on the website Policies for the People, which Fox News reported was launched by Kennedy allies.

Meeting FDA Standards

Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy at Consumer Brands Association, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the organization supports the “proven, science and risk-based process established by the FDA to review the safety of food additives.”

The Consumer Brands Association represents the packaged goods industry. Members include General Mills, Inc., Coca-Cola, and WK Kellogg Co., which was recently targeted with a petition to remove food dyes from its cereals and other products.

“To outright ban ingredients that have been proven safe would overstep the FDA scientific review of these additives and create significant regulatory uncertainty and unnecessary confusion for consumers,” Gallo said. “Consumer Brands will continue advocating for oversight from qualified experts, scientists and regulators to support public health, build consumer trust and promote consumer choice.”

The International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM) responded to an Epoch Times request for comment by stating that representatives were unavailable for an interview. The organization lists nine reasons why colors are safe—whether synthetic or natural—on its website.

Among the reasons it cites is the FDA’s role in ensuring that dyes are safe, including safety assessments.

“All color additives allowed for use in the US and the EU have been extensively studied, which translates into the ability to always assure that colors, enjoyed under their intended use, are safe for the consumer,” the website states. “There are a multitude of published studies focused on color additive safety that are accessible to the public for review.”

IACM doesn’t reference any studies on its website, but the organization has funded at least one study, published in 2017 in Food Additives and Contaminants. The analysis concluded that exposures “by average and high-intake consumers is well below the acceptable daily intake” set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Industry use of food color is “safe,” the authors said, and there is no excessive exposure at any level of use.

Specifically for yellow 5, the acceptable daily intake according to the WHO is a range of zero to 10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This means that for a 70 kg (154-pound) woman, the acceptable intake is up to 700 mg per day.

‘All Relevant Studies’

Lefferts said it’s true that some studies have failed to find an association between dyes and behavioral symptoms.  An examination of the issue, however, should include an evaluation of all relevant studies, she said.

“That’s just what California’s OEHHA did,” Lefferts said. “They scrutinized all of the evidence. And, as the OEHHA report found, most studies in children do find that dyes impact neurobehavior. Plus, OEHHA found that higher-quality studies in children were more likely to find effects.”