[eitally]

My oldest child has a neurological response to artificial colors but we don't know exactly which and haven't tried a challenge test. This is not uncommon and has been known for quite some time, which is why the EU has banned many of these coloring additives for years. One of the reasons we often shop at Whole Foods for prepared foods & baked goods is that they don't allow any artificial colors or flavors in products they sell. It's useful for peace of mind.

Beet juice, annatto, spirulina, carrot juice / beta carotene, and many other options abound. What infuriates me is when I see something white (like vanilla pudding) that contains blue #5... for no good reason.

[MrOwen]

Recently, I purchased some chocolate covered sunflower seeds. Natural chocolate color so I didn't think to check ingredients at the store but when I got home, I reviewed the ingredients. It had red, blue, and yellow artificial coloring - I was blown away! Of course, I'm sure they used the colors to arrive at a nice, consistent brown color but at what cost? Why not just do away with those artificial colorings and just let the natural chocolate color show through? Surely, the inclusion of those colors is also some sort of cost that they could even save money with if they weren't used.