It's December 1 and as promised - I'm back! I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. Are you ready to hit the gym now to work off all of that food? I know I ate much more than I had intended...but let's move on.
Companies listen to customer comments and suggestions, plain and simple. They have to in order to stay in business. The most successful companies are continously trying to keep up with current trends to maintain or increase their current number of customers. If the trend moves towards more natural ingredients, food companies will be forced to follow. If they lose a percentage of their customer base because of added chemicals, they'll be forced to find natural replacements.
There's power in large numbers, so will you join me in suggesting that companies change their ingredients? Today, I'm specifically focusing on artificial food colors. There are a multitude of natural alternatives (as proven by the organic section), and I'm sure our kids would get used to food that wasn't quite so unnaturally bright.
There are currently 9 artificial colors approved by the FDA. 2 of them are on restricted use and 1 is being considered for restrictions. While they're approved by the FDA, they're obviously not safe enough to consume in large quantities, or else they would not be restricted. And then there's the mulitude of artificial colors that used to be considered safe but were pulled from the market after years of use because of side effects.
Most of the side effects associated with artificial colors are anecdotal. Many consumer stories point to these chemicals as the cause of hyperactivity, migraines, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, flushed face, and digestive issues. Studies in lab rats show overconsumption of certain colors can lead to cancer.
I know a few people (myself included) who avoided artificial colors for a period of time. When they were introduced back into the diet, our bodies rejected them in varying degrees, either from vomitting or symptoms of nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea.
If I stayed away from broccoli for a month and then ate it again, I would not be sick. The fact that each one of us was sick from the addition of artificial food colors leads me to one conclusion: we're not supposed to be consuming them. Our bodies adapt to what we put in, but artificial food coloring is obviously one thing we would be better off without.
To get the ball rolling on taking action against the use of artificial food colors, we can email or call companies to suggest they use natural alternatives. Be truthful - would you still buy the product if it were not so brightly colored? Are you going to stop buying the product because of the artificial colors?
Here are a few contact pages of food companies to get you started. I've listed the foods that I know have artificial colors for the particular companies, but there may be others from the companies that I did not list.
Pillsbury - frozen biscuits, Toaster Strudels, turnovers, and refrigerated dough products
Frito-Lay - Tostitos (Hint of Lime and Hint of Jalapeno), Doritos, Cheetos, Sun Chips, and Quaker Snack Mix Kids Mix
Welch's - fruit snacks
Mariani - Tropical Medley and Pineapple Tango dried fruits
Mt. Olive - all pickle and relish products contain Yellow 5
Kraft - Jet Puff marshmallows and marshmallow creme, Macaroni and Cheese Easy Mac, Catalina dressing
Still want to do more? Check out the other Take Action posts:
Continental Breakfasts
Share the Good Stuff
Buy Local, Buy Local, Buy Local
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