John Myers
The sausage looks rosy, the fruit gum shines bright red or rich orange: colorings give food an attractive look that we associate with freshness and quality. Read what coloring agents there are – and whether they have any health effects.
Beautifiers: colorings in food
Food colorings are additives that ensure an attractive appearance. For example, if packaged sausages were not colored, they would look gray and unappetizing. While the natural oxidation process is the cause here, the industrial processing of food leads to color losses, which in turn are compensated for with coloring agents. The beautifiers help with food that is naturally too pale or colorless. Colorings in food are additives – read also about the function of additives in food – subject to approval. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) checks them for safety and they must be listed in the list of ingredients with their E number or by name.
What food colorings are there?
Only a few of the around 40 approved dyes are natural dyes; synthetic dyes are used much more frequently. In nature, secondary plant substances such as anthocyanins or carotene found in berries serve as coloring agents. Carrots, among other things, owe their color to the latter. Artificial dyes are replicas of these natural substances, some of which are produced in the laboratory (nature-identical dyes) or are purely synthetic compounds. Among the best known and at the same time most controversial are azo dyes such as quinoline yellow (E 104), cochineal red (E 124) and tartrazine (E 102).
Can colorings in food affect health?
A natural food coloring such as green chlorophyll is said to have positive health effects. Secondary plant substances are said to reduce the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system and cancer. The situation is different with the purely artificial dyes. Like some preservatives, they can trigger allergy-like and allergic symptoms. These include skin rashes, headaches, and shortness of breath. Scientists have shown that some azo dyes promote hyperactivity (ADHD). The EFSA then ordered that the warning “May impair activity and attention in children” must be printed on such products.
Apart from this restriction, synthetic and natural colorings in food are considered harmless according to the current state of knowledge. Whether and which effects can occur in the complex interaction with other food additives and environmental influences cannot be said. If you want to be on the safe side, for example, because you are allergic or have an underlying disease, it is best to avoid the artificial colorings in particular. The daily maximum amounts specified by the EFSA for some substances are not exceeded under any circumstances.
