Another Azo-Dye Is Banned (Red 2G), this Time in the EU

Hold off on frying up those sausages and burgers you have in the bottom of your freezer before reading the following update: This week the European Union has officially banned the use of Red 2G, or E128 from being used as a food coloring because recent studies have proven that the “azo-dye” is a known cancer causing additive. It was originally permitted for use in low cereal-filled breakfast sausages and burger meats in Europe

“to restore original appearance of food whose color has been affected by processing, storage, packaging and distribution, whereby visual acceptability may have been impaired” [1].

This news isn’t a surprise, as studies since 1999 have been claiming its dangers and watch groups have been sounding off since the 1980s. Although Red 2G has not been legal in the States for quite some time, I should remind readers that this does not mean that consumers in the U.S. are safe from inadvertent consumption of this and other azo dyes.

The European Food Safety Authority raised the following safety concerns about Red 2G and its metabolite aniline in its opinion on July 5, 2007,

“aniline was genotoxic in vivo in rats and mice,… based on similar metabolism of aniline in animals and humans a carcinogenic risk for man cannot therefore be excluded”[link].

In lay-man’s terms, Red 2G converts to aniline, a known toxic compound, when it reaches the intestines. As a result, on July 20, 2007 the European Commission has unanimously approved a draft Regulation to suspend use of E128 as a food coloring.

According to G.D. Muir, aniline vapor is toxic when inhaled, absorbed through the skin or swallowed. It causes headaches, drowsiness, mental confusion and in severe cases convulsions. Long term exposure to the vapor over a period of time affects the blood and nervous system, causing tiredness, loss of appetite, headaches and dizzy spells [2]. Red 2G is already banned in Australia, Austria, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. It was recently banned in Ireland, Israel and Greece this July, this after decades of use.

Azo dyes are synthetic, meaning they are not found naturally in the environment. Red 2G is only one of several azo dyes, most of which are currently being used in several countries around the world. They are usually brilliant colors. Food colors such as Sunset Yellow, Yellow Dye #5 (Tartrazine), and Brilliant Black are other well known azo-dyes currently found on American grocers’ shelves. Perhaps these other dyes haven’t yet been determined carcinogens, but there are plenty of studies out there to prove that they can produce other very serious health conditions when consumed.

Many watch groups claim that Azo dyes also cause asthma and brain dysfunction/ hyperactivity in children [link]. Jacobson and Schardt, in a report that reviews 23 separate studies about the negative effects of food additives on children with ADHD says,

“The FDA should require certain new and existing additives to be tested for behavioral effects. It should consider banning from foods used widely by children any dyes and other additives that affect behavior” [3].

One such report, done by C. Kenneth Conners et al as far back as 1976 claims that 88% of children put on a “modified Feingold Diet” free from food dyes improved their behaviors significantly [3, 25-31].

Yet these dyes are still prevalent in our foods, and especially in the medicines we give our children. I find this to be absurd. What disturbs me the most is the amount of food in our current diet that contains food additives and preservatives. We do not know the ultimate health risk of eating these non-natural chemicals on a daily, multi-meal diet. And these food colors are everywhere. They can be found in our dairy products, our prepackaged potato salads, our fruit snacks, salad dressings, candies, sodas, and even the rainbow goldfish we give our toddlers and preschoolers.

It doesn’t help that the United States has already banned some dangerous azo-dyes from our foods. The reality is that the government needs decades of studies before they move to ban any additive. The fact that some azo dyes like tartrazine are still legal in the States does not make them “good for you”. As consumers we need to be consciously aware of what we eat, and consider also where our food is imported from. Tartrazine is a coal-tar derivative.

Over twenty years ago, Klara Miller, head of Immunotoxicology Department at the British Industrial Biological Research Association, described how tartrazine, the most “frequently incriminated” additive in patients with symptoms of allergic reactions, can act as a hapten (a molecule that induces an immune response). This happens because like other azo dyes it is reduced in the intestine and the liver. Miller also reported that the incidence of sensitivity to this color at possibly 1 in 10,000.

She also noted that “the mechanism of the adverse reaction to tartrazine is not known” [4].

Yet the U.S. government deems it as safe for the general public and so it remains, for now.

But this is not the only thing you need to consider when buying foods in America. Imported foods that don’t claim to have additives and colors are not necessarily free of them. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),

“there continues to be a large number of detentions for illegal and undeclared food color additives. In FY-93, there were more than 450 detentions of products for illegal or undeclared color additives, from approximately 35 countries” [5].

Products such as Canadian mousse, Vietnamese sweet and sour mustards, strawberry creme filled crackers from China, and Orange Fanta from Mexico are just a few that been discovered and detained. Bottom line, not all imports are inspected and detained and when you buy imported foods from countries that do not ban controversial food additives there is a good chance you are purchasing and inadvertently ingesting these chemicals.

There are currently 92 artificial food color suppliers worldwide, most producers are in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, U.S., U.K., India, and Netherlands.

The best way to avoid the azo-dye dilemma is to read the labels, strive to buy all-natural, certified organic domestic foods, and above all else, be careful when purchasing imported foods. Do your homework before you buy.

For more information on food additives, possible side effects and countries where they are currently banned, see: www.lactose.co.uk/milkallergy/foodadditives100.html

Also check out: www.tryorganics.com/body1.htm

If you are concerned about the effects of food additives, colors and preservatives on children read the studies and information at: http://www.feingold.org/

References:

1. “European Parliament and Council directive 94/36/EC” Official Journal of European Communities. June 30, 1994:NL237/13.
2. Muir, GD (ed.) 1971, Hazards in the Chemical Laboratory, The Royal Institute of Chemistry, London.
3. Jacobson, Michael F. PhD., and David Schardt. “Diet, ADHD and Behavior: A Quarter Century Report” Center for Science in the Public Interest. September 1999.
4. Miller, Klara. “Sensitivity to Tartrazine.” British Medical Journal. Volume 285. December 4, 1982.
5. United States Food and Drug Administration. IA #45-02, “Detention Without Physical Examination and Guidance of Foods Containing Illegal and/or Undeclared Colors” and “Products and Firms Subject to Detention Without Physical Examination”. Revised 7/20/07.

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Caryn Talty

The editor of this website has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

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