Over the last several years, there has been an increase in support for legislation that bans the use of synthetic food dyes in commonly purchased foods. Much of this backing has been from concerned parents who strive to learn what goes into the foods their children eat.
One parent took to r/ScienceBasedParenting to better understand why food dyes have become so scrutinized.
In their post, the Redditor explained that they had come across an assortment of information that broke down the possible "neurobehavioral outcomes" in children attributed to food dyes. However, they remained skeptical of the correlation and sought more information. "Anyway I'm just looking for credible resources and or feedback on this topic," the Redditor wrote.
"I'm all for healthier options and alternatives for my lil dude but is it truly that beneficial to plan your shopping trip around scanning items on an app … to see if there's dyes in the food?"
In January 2025, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued an order "revoking the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3." According to the order, "manufacturers who use FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs will have until January 15, 2027 or January 18, 2028, respectively, to reformulate their products."
For years, many studies have attempted to link the use of certain food dyes with behavioral problems, primarily in children. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment conducted a 2021 study that found "synthetic food dyes can impact neurobehavior in some children."
The Cleveland Clinic noted that more research needed to be done regarding the possible connection between increased ADHD or hyperactivity in children and food dyes.
In the comments section, many users shared research-backed links that aimed to help educate the original poster while also revealing personal stories of their own.
One concerned parent offered an emotional take on what they've experienced while learning about food dyes. "The hardest part, to be honest, is not being believed by people who don't believe the science is consistent enough," noted the commenter. "When it affects your family directly, you're forced to fight."
"Personally, I worry a lot less about the micro (scanning ingredient lists) and a lot more about the macro (trying to select minimally processed foods whenever possible)," added a second commenter.
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Always 👍 Another Redditor shared their own personal experience involving their daughter and issues they believe to be linked to food dyes. "We ate whatever we wanted for years, and then one day my daughter had the most violent temper of all time," the user wrote. "A month later, again. A few weeks later, again. Turns out, everytime she had food with dye. It happened overnight."
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