Are Food Dyes Fueling Kids' Hyperactivity?

June 3, 2008— -- Aunt Jemima Blueberry Waffles are blue, but not from blueberries. Kraft Mac and Cheese is yellow, but not from the cheese. Fruity Pebbles, Fruit Roll-Ups, Pop Tarts? They all contain chemical food dyes.

And now some people believe that dyes used to make food look fresh could be so bad for children's health that they should be banned.

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The Center for Science in the Public Interest today called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban artificial coloring in all U.S. foods based on a controversial claim that artificial coloring is behind the rise in kids' behavioral problems, like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

"I think it's crystal clear the dyes affect kids' behavior," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C. "The tougher questions are how many kids, and to what extent is their behavior affected? But time is long overdue to get rid of these dyes from the food supply. Let scientists study them in a laboratory."

To others, however, that connection is far less clear.

"I would say, no, the jury is not still out," said Robert Brackett, senior vice president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C. "I think the vast preponderance of scientific evidence shows that these products are safe. We have seen nothing conclusive that has any link whatsoever between hyperactivity and food colors as approved food colors."

The FDA also maintains that there is no evidence of a link.

But some parents are breathing easier, having removed artificially colored foods from their kids' diets.

Judy Mann of Silver Spring, Md., whose 10-year-old son Jake Kushner suffers from ADHD, said she had tried everything to confront her son's disorder, such as eliminating gluten, eating organic and visiting a psychiatrist and a psychologist.

After looking at the ingredients in buttered movie theater popcorn following one of Jake's outbursts, she became convinced that food dyes played a part in his explosive behavior.