Dye free options become more popular as parents push for dye free foods

MISSOURI(KBSI) – Parents are pushing for more transparency when it comes to food ingredients. The demand for cleaner foods and dye free options are becoming increasingly more popular.  

More and more parents are ditching artificial food colorings as it could potentially be linked to behavior issues in children.

This has business owners adding more dye free options to their menu’s.

Dawn Kirby is the owner of Ty’s Summer Sno. A popular snow cone stand with locations in both Cape and Jackson. Kirby says she has had more requests than ever for natural flavors, but parents do have to request those flavors, and parents should be aware that the natural flavors may contain real fruit so allergies to fruits could be an issue when choosing natural options.  

“We are going to ask that parents request if they are going to have the natural flavors because we are still going to carry the original ones that we have always had but we are going to add in the natural flavors in addition to.” 

According to a recent survey by the Organic Trade Association nearly 60% of parents with children under 12 say they avoid artificial dyes. Specifically, food colorings like red 40 or yellow 5 are cautioned against by consumer studies but these additives are still approved by the US FDA.

Lindsay Koelmel is a mom and Now App user who says they cut out artificial dies as much as possible.

“We have not gone completely dye free at our house but when there are dye free options, we chose to make those instead of feeding our children foods with dies” says Koelmel.

The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr announced last week that he was pushing to phase out artificial food dyes in the US. Stating that artificial food dyes are playing a key role in increased health conditions, early puberty, and allergies in children.

Dad and now app user Austin Huffman says he agrees with the decision to remove artificial dyes from US shelves.

“We try to avoid these dyes as much as possible” says Huffman. Mostly because my son has autism and whenever he consumes a lot of these dyes you can tell a sharp decline in his behavior. Luckily, he likes to eat meat, fruits and vegetables and foods without those dyes to begin with but I’d like to see the US move away from artificial dyes like Europe and Canada has.”