Introduction
When food is processed to manufacture pet food it loses its original color but still, when you serve food to your pet it looks colorful. Where does that color come from? Synthetic food colors are used to make the food look appealing to the owners so that they buy it. Animals do not see the colors as humans do. The question is whether the color is safe for animals or not. Earlier, food color was used to hide the discoloration of stale food. These colors had toxic content like lead, mercury, and arsenic. Ultimately, these colors were banned by the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. The coal-tar dyes prepared from the byproducts of coal processing were banned by the Color Additive Amendments of 1960. This focused more on the safety of the food colors if consumed by humans and animals. Though it is not true that those food colors that are safe for humans should necessarily be safe for animals as well.
Is it Safe for Animals to Consume Food Colors?
- Additive colors can cause cancer, hyperactivity, and allergies in humans in some cases. Due to this many consumers are avoiding synthetic dyes both for themselves and their animals. Even companies like Nestle, Kellogs’s, General Mills, Frito-Lay, Kraft, and Mars are looking for substitutes for synthetic dyes.
- Red 40, also known as Allura Red has cancer-causing elements. It causes hyperactivity and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). It is also unhealthy for animals.
- Red 3 or Erythrosine has harmful effects like chromosomal damage, thyroid tumors, neurochemical and behavioral problems. The FDA tried to ban it but could not.
- The European countries warn against the synthetic color Yellow 5 or E 102 or tartrazine. It can cause thyroid tumors, asthma, ADHD, chromosomal damage, allergies, lymphomas, neurochemical and behavioral effects, insomnia, violent behavior, and aggression. It is banned in Norway.
- Yello 6 or Sunset Yellow is one more synthetic color that can cause many damages like skin issues, chromosomal damage, asthma, eczema, hives, hyperactivity (mostly in children), and aggression. It is banned in Norway and Sweden. It causes adrenal gland and kidney tumors in animals.
- Brain tumors, abnormal cell development, allergic reactions, and cancer are the side effects of the synthetic color Blue 2 or Indigo Carmine. It is banned in Norway.
- Blue 1 also known as Brilliant Blue is banned in France and Finland as it causes chromosomal damage.
- Citrus Red 2 causes bladder tumors and is banned in US food processing. Green 3 is banned for the same reason in European economic communities.
- Synthetic colors may not be harmful in some cases but neither are they nutritious in any way.
- Organic or natural dyes do not have concentrated colors and are not harmful. They should be replaced with artificial dyes.
Conclusion
Is not the information on this blog useful? You can know more about colors from the website of Marksill Colours. You can also find detailed information on the products.
Key Takeaways
- Synthetic food colors are used to make the food look appealing to the owners so that they buy it. Animals do not see the colors as humans do.
- Due to harmful effects, consumers are avoiding synthetic dyes both for themselves and their animals.
- Some of the common diseases caused by synthetic colors are tumors, cancer, chromosomal damage, insomnia, aggression, hyperactivity, allergies, etc.
- Organic or natural dyes do not have concentrated colors and are not harmful. They should be replaced with artificial dyes.