Halloween Candies’ Hidden Risks: Food Dyes Linked to Hyperactivity in Kids

As children fill pillowcases and plastic pumpkins with brightly-hued Halloween candies, one concern is often overlooked: artificial food dyes.

Those vibrant blues, greens and reds, while eye-catching, may contribute to behavioral changes, especially in children sensitive to synthetic coloring, according to a comprehensive California scientific review.

Jamie Newman, from the Riverside County city of Temecula, discovered this firsthand when her son, Jakari, exhibited increasingly severe outbursts and hyperactive behavior as a toddler.

Jakari raged in his room. In fits of anger, he tipped over furniture and tore pictures down from walls.

After numerous consultations with experts and exhaustive testing, Newman had few answers. She was desperate for a solution. One evening, a colleague at the hospital where she works recommended a TEDx Talk by a mother whose child was sensitive to artificial dyes. It was a revelation.

Newman, skeptical but hopeful, began examining Jakari’s diet. She found artificial colors in everything from his marshmallows to the bubblegum-flavored mouthwash he used twice a day.

Within two weeks of eliminating food dyes from Jakari’s diet, his tantrums stopped. “We thought, my goodness, is this real?” Newman remembers.

What does science say?

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved nine colors for use in processed food and other products like sunscreen, cough syrup and pills, a recent state assessment of research conducted on products with synthetic food dyes found they may increase or contribute to hyperactivity in kids.

The FDA-approved synthetic additives are made from petroleum and are contained in at least 90% of candies, fruit-flavored snacks and drink mixes marketed to kids, and 40% of all children’s food products.

Scientists at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment reviewed 27 human clinical trials, as well as animal and cell studies, to shed light on how food dyes affect human health. They concluded that levels of the artificial food coloring determined to be safe by the FDA are too high for children.

“It is an excellent, basically landmark summary of the literature,” said Joel Nigg, psychologist and ADHD researcher at Oregon Health & Science University, who published a comprehensive 2015 review of human studies available and whose work is cited in California’s health hazard assessment. “It’s the first time a comprehensive review of human, animal and lab studies is all put together.”

Policy changes

In response to the growing evidence, California recently passed a law banning several synthetic dyes from foods offered at public schools. It goes into effect on Dec. 31, 2027.

“It’s a slam dunk that some kids are being harmed by these toxic chemicals,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, a national environmental health organization. “It makes them less prepared to learn. And that is not only terrible for those kids, it makes everything harder for all the other kids in that classroom and the teachers.”

The National Confectioners Association, which represents the candy industry, said in a statement that “activists are dismantling our national food safety system in an emotionally-driven campaign that lacks scientific backing.”

Meanwhile, in Europe, food manufacturers must add a label on foods with artificial coloring warning they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children,” which was spurred by research from professor Jim Stevenson at the University of Southampton.

Stevenson’s studies, which found a measurable but modest effect of artificial dyes on behavior, draw parallels to the societal benefits of removing lead from gasoline.

“When you took lead out of petrol, the improvement in IQ scores was about the same magnitude as the change we see in children’s behavior when you alter the dyes in their diet,” Stevenson said.

Most European companies avoid the label by switching to natural dyes like beet juice and spirulina extract. A few U.S. companies have followed suit. Kraft now uses turmeric and paprika to turn its macaroni and cheese sauce bright yellow.

Jamie Newman takes advantage of natural options. She plans to swap out Jakari’s treats tonight with a bucket of dye-free candy so he doesn’t miss out on the fun. His favorite is Sweet Tarts Ropes.

“I can’t even explain the relief I feel that we figured out what was wrong,” Newman said.