Artificial food colouring

What this is

Artificial food coloring refers to synthetic dyes (often petroleum-derived) added to foods and drinks to provide bright, uniform colors. Common examples include Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1 – known by names like Allura Red, Tartrazine, and Brilliant Blue. These additives are found in many candies, snacks, cereals, drinks, and fast-food items (for instance, to make sodas more visually appealing or to color dessert icings). U.S. regulations permit their use in small amounts and require each dye to be listed by name on ingredient labels. However, artificial dyes remain controversial due to studies associating them with hyperactivity in a subset of children and rare allergic reactions in sensitive consumers.

Critical Endpoints

The key endpoints experts review in safety assessments (critical endpoints). This is not a prediction of harm.