Artificial Food Coloring

In the USA, the following seven artificial colorings are permitted in food (the most common in bold) as of 2007:

• FD&C Blue No. 1 – Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (blue shade) -  It has the capacity for inducing an allergic reaction in individuals with pre-existing moderate asthma.
• FD&C Blue No. 2 – Indigotine, E132 (Indigo shade) -Indigo carmine is harmful to the respiratory tract if swallowed. It is also an irritant to the skin and eyes.
• FD&C Green No. 3 – Fast Green FCF, E143 (turquoise shade)-  is poorly absorbed by the intestines. Its use as a food dye is prohibited in European Union and some other countries.  This substance has been found to have tumorigenic effects in experimental animals, as well as mutagenic effects in both experimental animals and humans. It furthermore risks irritation of eyes, skin, digestive tract, and respiratory tract in its undiluted form.
• FD&C Red No. 40 – Allura Red AC, E129 (red shade)- was originally manufactured from coal tar but is now mostly made from petroleum.  Related dyes include Sunset Yellow FCF, Scarlet GN, tartrazine, and Orange B.  Some reports suggest that consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and sodium benzoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behaviour and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lower IQs were observed in children.  It can also trigger cancer in the body. 
• FD&C Yellow No. 5 – Tartrazine, E102 (yellow shade)- People who have aspirin sensitivity may not tolerate it and it may be especially a bad choice for people who have frequent asthma. Tartrazine is derived from coal tar, which has led to concerns for all people who consume it. 
• FD&C Yellow No. 6 – Sunset Yellow FCF, E110 (orange shade)- is a possible carcinogen, which is frequently present in it as an impurity. Sunset Yellow itself may be responsible for causing an allergic reaction in people with an aspirin intolerance, resulting in various symptoms including gastric upset, diarrhea, vomiting, nettle rash (urticaria) and swelling of the skin (angioedema).  The colouring has also been linked to hyperactivity in young children.
• FD & C Red No. 3- Contains erythrosine, another coal tar based compound. There is suspicion that this colorant may be carcinogenic. Rat studies showed development of thyroid tumors when high doses of erythrosine were administered. In 1990 the U.S. FDA had instituted a partial ban on erythrosine, citing research that high doses have been found to cause cancer in rats.  Also could be a significant risk factor in human breast carcinogenesis.

The above are known as "primary colors"; when they are mixed to produce other colors, those colors are then known as "secondary colors".  These artificial colors are in a lot of the foods we consume, so please read the ingredients labels.  It's hard to avoid all artificial colors, but try your best and use natural food dyes when cooking and baking at home.  You can find a lot of them at Whole Foods.  I used the natural red food coloring made from beets, but I didn't realize that when adding heat the color would change.  My red velvet cake turned out to be purple velvet cake.  It still was still really yummy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_coloring
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/02/25/fd_c_dyes_sickness.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-food-coloring-made-of.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/022870.html