Green Options

While national policies have left a lot to be desired regarding food safety, states have taken a lot of steps forward to combat food issues. Consider the state and city bans on transfats, New York’s mandate for calorie labeling on fast food menus. Even as the FDA and USDA fail, for many reasons, to step up to protect consumers, individual states are taking action and leading the charge.

Maryland is the next notable state taking action. Two bills have currently been proposed to ban the use of controversial food dyes in the wake of two British studies (PDF) that show some of the dyes may be linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children. One of the bills would mandate labeling on the food packages that contain the dyes, and give industry until 2012 to stop using them. The other bill specifically prohibits schools from purchasing, providing and serving any food item that contains the dyes by 2010.

Learn where you can lookup common foods to see which have these dyes after the jump.

Last September, we reported that food additives and colorings were linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. In fact, all children are affected, not just those who develop ADHD.  Despite calls from activists to ban artificial food dyes, many of which are derived from petroleum and coal tars, the FDA insists they are safe.  Now, the UK is taking these concerns seriously and calling for voluntary ban by next year.