A Reddit user recently posted in a forum dedicated to cockatiels that they were outraged to find that the "healthy" food they purchased was full of artificial dyes.
"It is beyond infuriating," they stated.
The cockatiel food contained Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, and Red 3.
Artificial dyes are used in food to make it look more attractive, though one might wonder why a cockatiel would care about the color of its food. The original poster's outrage was understandable, as they were a pet owner just trying to provide a healthy diet for their animal.
An article by Free Range Parrots states that all of the nine approved dyes in the United States pose health concerns for animals. There is evidence that Red 3 causes cancer in animals; Yellow 5 and Red 40 have been found to contain benzidine or other carcinogens; and Blue 1 is known to cause hypersensitivity reactions.
The article suggests that the dyes should be removed from the food supply of animals and replaced by safer colorings since "dyes do not improve the safety or nutritional quality of foods."
Thomas Galligan, a principal scientist for food additives at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Science in the Public Interest, reviewed a study done by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment regarding Red 3. He said, "The FDA itself determined that Red 3 is an animal carcinogen in 1990 and have been obligated to ban it ever since … and they have just failed to do so."
Even if one chooses foods for themselves or their pets that do not contain artificial dyes, they can still be affected by them. Nature Reviews explained that manufacturers' wastewater contains the dye and it affects irrigation, causing health issues for humans and animals and damaging ecosystems.
Eating cleaner, cheaper food and feeding it to our pets is a great way to help the environment and protect our health.
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Price 💰 Commenters on the Reddit thread were helpful, offering suggestions on bird foods without artificial dyes.
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After one tasty dye-free bird food was suggested, a commenter revealed, "I will admit I snack on it with [my bird] when we're watching trash TV."
"I'm trying to get my guy to prefer pellets/fresh fruits and veggies, but he's a stubborn seedaholic," another Reddit user shared.
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