Are certain food dyes harmful to our children?

Most parents would do anything in their power to keep their children safe and healthy, but do we know enough about the food we’re feeding them?

After the FDA announced a ban on Red Dye 3, it got us wondering about other dyes.

Study on food dyes

In our Question Everything segment, we asked, “Are certain dyes harmful to our children?”

In the past year, California became the first state to ban six dyes from school lunches in public schools. This is over concerns that the chemicals have been linked to health and behavioral issues in children.

Those dyes California honed in on were Red Dye 40, Blue 1 and 2, Green 3, Yellow 5 and 6.

Then in January, the FDA announced a ban on Red Dye 3 from being added to foods after studies found that the dye caused cancer in lab rats.

These different dyes can be found in some popular foods. including certain candies, certain cereal, certain chips and some ice cream.

“There has been enough data to suggest that there is an association between consumption of certain food dyes like Red Dye 40 and ADHD and mental health concerns,” said Dr. Rishi Gautam, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with LifeBridge Health.

“For children though, the effects of these can be significant because we need to remember the children’s brains are moving targets, they are evolving, they are growing and the impact of things and development can have long-term effects,” Dr. Gautam said.

Gautam says the research in this field is still “upcoming” but he’s on board with the recent bans, limiting consumption, especially for children already dealing with some behavioral struggles.

“The recommendation has been to minimize the use and if possible, completely avoid it, especially if your child is susceptible to these things,” Dr. Gautam said.

Eating healthier and going the all-organic route, though, is not always cost-efficient for some families.

“The things that are cheapest often contain most processed foods and as a society, we’ve been grappling with this for a while,” Dr. Gautam said. “We can learn from Europe. Europe sets a different kind of standard for foods they allow to be used for consumption.”

The FDA’s ban on Red Dye 3 in food products does not go into effect until January of 2027, so companies still have time to comply.

Leaders in some other states like Florida are now trying to ban certain food dyes in school lunches, following California. 

Remember, what works for one child may not work for another.

Cutting dye products, cutting attitude

It’s no secret that being a parent is hard. 

Juggling school, work, activities, social media, sports, it can be a lot. Mix in what to feed your child and it can feel like you are fighting an uphill battle.

“People probably think I’m checking the calories, but no, I’m checking the ingredients,” said Katie Jonas, mother of three from Edgewater, Maryland, as she showed us some of the food items her children snack on.

Jonas said what her youngest son eats is a vital part of her day to day.

“I feel like you can’t put a price on the way he feels,” Jonas said.

Her son is 8-year-old Laken, the youngest, is smart, energetic and a sports lover, who excels in baseball. But it didn’t always come so easy.

“Laken has always been a kid with big emotions,” Jonas said. “He got on this baseball team and was having a hard time. He would get frustrated, throw his helmet, say awful things to his coach every time he struck out, or sometimes when things would go wrong. It wasn’t like we were putting this added pressure on him, either. We just wanted him to have fun no matter how he performed.”

Epic meltdowns became debilitating for Laken.

“When I struck out, I went off the field, quit the whole game and I just didn’t play,” said Laken, as he sat down with his mom and WJZ Evening News Anchor Rick Ritter.

“What were the emotions that went through you when that would happen?” Ritter asked.

“I was just really mad, frustrated and sad that I struck out and got out,” Laken said.

As a mom, Jonas tried everything for her boy. She put him in therapy, tried different reward and consequence systems and all sorts of tough love.

“He finally said to me, ‘Mom, I love playing baseball, but I can’t control myself.’ That’s when I knew it was bigger than me having conversations with him” Jonas said.

“I had nothing to lose”

Jonas then did a deep dive into the food dyes and chemicals in products that Laken was consuming on a daily basis.

“Eventually, I made the decision to cut out dyes to see if that would help,” Jonas said. “I had nothing to lose. The artificial dyes, specifically and cutting them out, it was like night and day.”

Jonas said Laken acted differently after she cut out his artificial dyes.

“The first game he had after that, he struck out and went back to bench, put his helmet in his bag and sat on the bench like it was no big deal,” Jonas said. “I’ve never been so happy to see him strike out and to see his reaction that he didn’t have a reaction.”

No longer “walking on eggshells”

Now, when adversity hits on the field, Laken doesn’t have the same meltdowns.

“It doesn’t feel great but I don’t really get mad that much, and the next time I might get a hit and that feels really good, ” Laken said.

The switch has been life-changing for Laken and well worth it for the past year.

“When he was consuming these dyes on a regular basis? How many meltdowns was he having a week compared to now?” Ritter asked.

“I feel like it was sort of walking on eggshells all the time, so the littlest things would trigger him,” Jonas said. “He’s still a kid, don’t get me wrong, he has his moments like any kid but he has done so well with this change, it has helped him immensely. He’s so loving and kind.”