Yellow #5

Yellow #5

Yellow #5

What is it:

Yellow #5, also known as Tartrazine, is a synthetic food coloring used to add a yellow or bright orange hue to various food and beverage products. The main component of Yellow #5 is a compound called sodium salt of tartrazine, which is derived from coal tar or petroleum through chemical synthesis. The resulting yellow dye is then processed and purified to create Yellow #5. It is commonly used in products such as candies, beverages, desserts, and processed foods to enhance their visual appeal.

Rating:

Yellow #5 is a highly processed chemical derived from petroleum, which is toxic upon ingestion. Artificial food colorings including yellow #5 have been linked to hyperactivity in children and may cause DNA damage. While the European Union requires warning labels on foods with yellow #5, and Austria and Norway have banned its use altogether, the U.S. continues to conclude that is safe at levels normally consumed. However, as food colorings and processed foods have increased dramatically in the U.S. diet in the last 50 years, researchers have demonstrated that it is easy to consume much higher levels of food dyes than is advised by regulatory agencies.

Resources:

  1. Yellow #5 approval by FDA (1969)
  2. Artificial food colors and ADHD symptoms in children (review)
  3. Artificial food colors associated with hyperactivity in children (randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial)
  4. Amounts of artificial food colors used in colored beverages and consumed on average
  5. Yellow No. 5 shows genotoxic potential (in vitro study)
  6. Negative effects of artificial food colorings in vivo and in vitro

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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