Companies have long-used artificial food dyes in their products. Food dyes, which include yellow #5, yellow #6, red #40, blue #1, and blue #2, along with others, are derived from petroleum and can have very harmful effects. The harmful effects from artificial food dyes include hyperactivity, cancer, and allergic reactions. In 2008, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of these dyes. Other countries have taken action to ban the use of food dyes. Scientists associate sugar overconsumption with numerous health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. America’s culture has changed rapidly over the past 30 years, and the food industry plays an important role in American’s diets. Many health organizations recommend that a person’s daily diet should comprise no more than 25% of total calories from sugars. The current content analysis research study examines the extent and nature of artificial food dyes and sugar levels in products marketed to children in a grocery store in Asheville, NC. Data were collected over a seven month period during 2014. This paper presents the percentage of food products with artificial food dye among the top five food companies for which data were collected. The paper also explores the percent of products among the top five food companies that exceeds the recommendation 25% calories from added sugars. All the food companies contain some products with artificial food dyes, with three of the five companies exceeding more than 25% of their products with food dyes. All the food companies also had products that exceeded the sugar recommendation. This research supports policy changes and increases in public awareness of these harmful artificial food dyes and the high levels of total sugar in children's products.
