How worried should you be about Yellow 6? Here's what experts say

After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on Red 3, a common food dye, on January 15, the subject of exactly what's in our food has come into sharper focus. 

What other additives can be found lurking in the foods we love, and how concerned should we be about them? The Cool Down published a wide-ranging examination into artificial colors at large on Jan. 1, but this article will take a closer look at one of the specific colorants that's under the microscope: Yellow 6.

What is Yellow 6, and why is it added to food?

According to the Environmental Working Group, Yellow 6 is a synthetic dye made from petroleum that is found in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. When it comes to food, it is added to desserts, soups, confectionary, cheeses, sauces, preserved fruits, and some savory snacks, as Rupa Health detailed. 

The additive has no nutritional value and is merely included to enhance a food product's color to make it look more appealing.

Is Yellow 6 safe?

While Yellow 6 isn't immediately harmful or deadly, exposure to this substance has been linked to a number of health issues, including cancer, neurobehavioural issues in children, and reproductive health concerns, according to the Environmental Working Group. 

For example, one of the ingredients of Yellow 6 is benzidine, which was described as a human and animal carcinogen in a report published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal. 

That report also observed that in 1985, the FDA found that the ingestion of "free benzidine" increased the risk of cancer in people to "just under the 'concern' threshold." 

And as Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, told The Cool Down: "Studies have linked synthetic food dyes to inattentiveness, learning difficulties, and other adverse behavioral outcomes in children. A landmark study released in 2021 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found that many food dyes are known to make some children vulnerable to behavioral difficulties and decreased attention."

Why hasn't the FDA banned Yellow 6?

According to the FDA, color additives must be approved before being used in food, with criteria including "short- and long-term effects of consumption, composition and properties, manufacturing process, stability, likely amount of consumption/exposure, and the availability of analytical methods for determining its purity and the amount in food." 

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Apparently, Yellow 6 was determined to have passed these standards decades ago, and evidence about its health impacts has done little to persuade the federal agency to change its stance.

However, as Ronholm noted, "In many cases, the FDA has either never had an opportunity to review food additives or the last time they did so was 40 to 60 years ago."

Thomas Galligan, principal scientist for food additives and science at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, explained to The Cool Down that countries in the European Union have required warning labels regarding negative impacts on child behavior related to foods that contain Yellow 6 since 2010, encouraging companies to change the recipes of certain products to meet standards.

Concerning the failure to remove Yellow 6 or other similar additives in the U.S., many of which are made with petroleum, Galligan said, "It's a choice that the food industry is making, which is quite shameful in my opinion."

What should consumers do about Yellow 6?

Pressure from advocacy groups helped to encourage the FDA to ban Red 3, so similar action might need to be taken to persuade the organization to take the same approach with Yellow 6. On that note, Consumer Reports launched an updated petition after the Red 3 ban to get the rest of the seven major artificial food dyes banned.

As advocacy efforts put pressure on the FDA and politicians, consumers should check the ingredients list on food and other products in the meantime to find if Yellow 6 is included and then make an informed decision about whether to purchase the item.

By growing your own food, though, you can be absolutely sure about what is or isn't in the produce you cultivate, and it also saves money and pollution by not requiring any shipping to reach your kitchen.

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