The Rise and Impending Fall of Food Dyes

Do you recall what huge news it was when red dye #2 was found to be carcinogenic and banned in the 1970s? In the grand scheme of things, that was just one of many steps along the way to banning food dye. It really didn't make much difference, as food scientists came up with new ways to make our food more red. It's a process that's been going on thousands of years. Food dyes were used to make food more attractive when it was less than palatable under the surface, or even spoiled. When we got tired enough of dangerous stuff added to our food, we introduced the Food and Drug Administration, which has saved a lot of lives. 

At about the same time (well, the 20th century), food manufacturers came up with tons of new synthetic dyes to make processed food any color you can imagine. Each one is tested thoroughly, and many have been banned. Because it takes a long time to phase out these dyes, the industry comes up with new ones. But eventually, we are going to have to get used to food in its natural state, or at least dressed up with natural food dyes. Will that be so bad? Tom Blank of Weird History Food explains.