When you look at a list of food ingredients, do the words “no artificial colors” really mean what they say?
A recent change by the FDA has consumer advocates worried that food labels are about to get a lot more confusing.
An investigation by Consumer Reports is digging into that rule change and what it means for the foods we eat.
You’ve probably seen it on countless food labels: “No Artificial Colors.” Seems straightforward, right?
Under a new Food and Drug Administration policy, that’s not necessarily the case.
“The simple version is the FDA basically has redefined what ‘no artificial colors’ means on food labels,” said Paris Martineau, an investigative reporter with Consumer Reports.
Until now, if a product made that claim, it meant there were no added colors. Now?
“The only colors now that count as artificial are the specific category called FD&C dyes – petroleum-based dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 2. Any other sort of added color gets a pass,” said Martineau.
Take titanium dioxide. It’s synthetically produced and used to add whiteness or brightness to foods like candies and cheeses, and is banned as a food additive in the European Union over toxicity concerns.
“Now you could have that in a product labeled ‘no artificial colors,’ which just adds a bit of confusion for the average consumer,” said Martineau.
The International Association of Color Manufacturers, an industry trade group, did not immediately respond to CR’s request for comment.
So, what does this mean when you’re grocery shopping?
“You now have to do some more research. It’s just going to make the average person’s choosing decision a little bit more complicated,” said Martineau.
The FDA says some additives, including titanium dioxide, are under review, and it will act if new data shows they’re unsafe.
Until then, shoppers should read ingredient lists carefully and not rely only on front-of-package claims.