I am SO OVER seeing so-called "natural" product recipes on the internet that recommend the use of food colouring. As if synthetic food colours are both safe and natural. The implication is that they're harmless, only they're really not. Despite being approved for sale in many countries.
So where & why did this rant start? Actually, it started in my natural product workshop here in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, as I sat down this morning to prepare a seriously natural & organic BLUE colour extract from some organic Anchan Flowers - Clitoria ternatea - also known as the Blue Butterfly Pea and I found myself explaining to staff WHY we do it this way.
Yesterday we had fresh anchan brought in by staff from their garden. I deliberately left them to wilt overnight and begin their breaking-down process, since they release so much more of their colour that way. The ones I used today are a single petaled variety, but often we use the double flower, which looks like this:
So WHY do we bother??
It turns out that just because the FDA deems something "safe" and clears it for commercial use, doesn't actually make it so.
FD&C Blue No. 2 is also called indigo blue or indigotine. It is a synthetic version of indigo, a dye naturally produced from plants. Indigotine, on the other hand, is a petroleum product, with the chemical formula C16H10N2O2. It is used in baked goods, cereals, ice cream, snacks, candies and cherries.
In September 2007, a study reported by D. McCann and colleagues in the journal "The Lancet" linked artificial colorings, including Blue No. 2, to hyperactivity.
In a group of studies reviewed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Blue No. 2 did not affect reproduction or cause birth defects in rabbits or rats. However, male rats in one group that received a high dosage of Blue No. 2 had statistically significant increases in brain cancers and other abnormal cell development. Source
Needless to say, the USFDA refuses to admit it might have an issue and continues to allow its use.
The conclusion of a comprehensive study from 2016 published in the Pharmaceutical & Biosciences Journal?
As a result of carcinogenicity, hypersensitivity reactions, and behavioral effects and other toxicological considerations, food dyes cannot be considered safe. We strongly advocate that food and drug regulatory agencies of various countries should rise up and ban food dyes, which serve no purpose other than a cosmetic effect, borrowing a leave from Japan and all European countries have banned trading of synthetic color made products. In the meantime, food companies should voluntarily replace dyes with safer, natural colorings, which has been found to be relatively safe and with health benefits.
We KNOW our skin absorbs chemicals too, and that's enough for us to completely rule out the use of synthetic food coloring agents.
Why use colouring at all, since our natural products are mostly NOT coloured at all?
Because we're preparing to make a range of Magnesium Bath Bombs for the Christmas gift market (and as a filler item in our Christmas gift boxes) and we need to differentiate one scent-function from another. By giving JUST A HINT of colour (palest blue, palest pink, palest yellow, palest orange, palest violet and the palest green) we can make 6 different scents for different occasions & uses. Cos who wants to accidentally drop the Refreshing Peppermint Foot Bomb into that warm Relax-Before-Bed bath. 😊
We're extracting our Blue from the Anchan flowers, our Yellow from fresh organic turmeric root and tour Red from fresh Roselle calyx.
I never get tired of the natural world and doing things the slo-mo way to achieve safety and the highest quality, but I DO GET TIRED of people never questioning the safety of products & ingredients cos the government said it was ok.
So next time someone tries to sell you a candle, bath bombs, bath salts, lotions or whatever and you see FOOD COLOUR on the label, please put it down and walk away. Ironically, the blue colour is one of the 'safest' with red in particular and also yellow reporting FAR HIGHER levels of negative-harmful outcomes in clinical studies.
I'm GLAD I started my working day today naturally BLUE 😆 and look forward to showing off our yummy and 100% natural PRETTY PALE BLUE Bath Bombs next week.
Feeling grateful in my natural Thai world.
With very stained fingers. 😆
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