I looked at the ingredients on Hawaiian Punch and it contains red dye # 40. Is this particular red dye harmful?
If it is, then why doesn't the FDA prohibit the use of it?
And yes, I know that red dye # 4 causes cancer, I am talking about # 40.
2007-04-03 07:17:05 · 6 answers · asked by lovslinky 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
Having spent decades in food safety and toxicology, I consume foods with red #40 in them. I believe it is safe in moderation, as are most foods. The FDA maintains a list of items that are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and this dye is on the list.
Anything in excess can be harmful, or as others have mentioned, if you have a sensitivity or allergy you should not consume the ingredient.
Dr. Ames who invented the Ames test for carcigenicity said something to the effect that we test chemicals that we add to food in parts per trillion (like a finger print on a toyota), but we have yet to test chemicals that we ingest in large amounts. Who knows what potentially dangerous chemicals are present in brocolli? We haven't tested even a small fraction of the chemicals present naturally in foods.
2007-04-03 07:29:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Red Dye #3 is a colorant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned for a number of uses of in 1990 after it was linked to the development of thyroid tumors in male rats. Red Dye #2 also linked to cancer has been banned by the FDA since 1976.
The FDA considers Red dye #40 safe (for now)
2007-04-03 07:27:52 · answer #2 · answered by Global warming ain't cool 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, its bad. Its made from crushed chocineal beatles. The FDA approves all sorts of stuff that doesnt make sense. They say a certain amount of rat droppings and hairs are allowed in processed foods. Look how many food additives and medications have been recalled because they learned how harmful they are. I don't trust anything the FDA approves-I think they sit around a large table with a communal crackpipe deciding what to approve next. Think cloned meat! Any food dyes are bad, and unneccesary. I WOULD drink the Hawaiian Punch if it was clear, wouldn't you? I dont NEED for everything I eat to be colorful-fruits and veggies give us all of the color we need in our food
2007-04-03 07:50:06 · answer #3 · answered by beebs 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
dyes might be a little harmful, but I'm sure its a lot less harmful than things like:
raw meat or raw eggs
raw cookie dough
red dye #4
alcohol
cigarettes
2007-04-03 07:23:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
probably only a little...just dont drink to much. Hot cheetos cause cancer but there is alot of red dye..so just dont drink alot and hopefully you'll be fine
2007-04-03 07:25:14 · answer #5 · answered by nia w 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Only if your allergic to it.
2007-04-03 07:23:03 · answer #6 · answered by mikeae 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋