The Environmental Impact of Food Dyes
Plus a Photo Worthy Punch
Two weeks ago I wrote about the protests outside of Kellogg’s, and offered some natural alternatives to artificial dyes. This week, I will take it a step further and lay on the guilt and discuss the environmental impacts of artificial dyes, and products you can buy as alternatives.
The Search for the Perfect Picture
We recently went to the Museum of Ice Cream in Manhattan. The exhibit has very little to do with the actual history of ice cream, and everything to do with the getting the perfect picture. Unfortunately, the same is now true of the New York Public Library. There is plenty of room to roam around the exhibits, but the stairwells are difficult to navigate because at least three women in ethereal gowns are trying to take pictures.
The “X-Treme” use of food dyes in the 90s is now the norm. Likewise, thanks to social media, enormous drinks and desserts laden with bright colors have also become the norm. This is especially true in New York City. I follow a few accounts on Instagram that promote this kind of thing. These treats are often described as “Instagram Worthy,” people line up around the block and shell out big bucks just to get that money shot. People began using naturally derived dyes over 3,500 years ago. We like our colors bright.
It is true, that these desserts are aesthetically pleasing, but at what cost? Dye is frequently present in untreated wastewater, contaminating and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. 1. Untreated synthetic dyes released into marine environments reduce the light available for photosynthesis by primary producers, with consequential impacts on the whole food chain.
In addition, dyes are also directly harmful to plants, animals and humans, with human health implications including increasing allergy and cancer risk2. The blame for this problem lies with the growing global population and increased consumption of beverages and processed foods. The United States is one of the few industrialized nations without strict regulations regarding food dyes. More than 36,000 food products sold in the United States contains Red 40.3
Where Can You Buy Naturally-Derived Dyes?
As we have a red-dye sensitivity in my family, I’ve spent the last 5+ years searching for naturally colored products as alternatives, especially around Christmas and Halloween when everything is red and orange, respectfully. It is finally getting easier to find these products. I have included a list of the products I use, and where to find them:
All products at Trader Joe’s- they only sell products colored with natural dyes.
Supernatural, available at supernaturalkitchen.com and on Amazon, sells sprinkles and melting chocolates.
McCormick has now started selling natural dyes in their familiar little squeeze bottles.
Watkins is another brand that sells natural dyes in the little squeeze bottle.
Thrive Market- I source our candy canes from there every year.
Yum Earth- Their products are now in regular grocery stores.
Unreal- I remember when they were a small start up in Boston- now they are everywhere.
This Week’s Cocktail, an Instagram Worthy Accident
Finally, this week’s cocktail was an accident that garnered 1,500 views on Instagram, go figure. I started with a cooled butterfly pea flower tea. (Butterfly pea flowers are easily found online.) In a cocktail shaker, 1 put about 2 ounces of the tea, 1 ounce of tequila, lime juice and agave nectar with some ice. I finished it off with edible glitter. I was demonstrating this to my friend when the cap came off the glitter bottle, resulting in the whole thing being emptied into my drink. My friend and my husband continued on with a serious conversation about labor statistics while I stared in awe at my drink. It was so beautiful! I posted it on Instagram and rejoined the conversation and the next thing I knew I had 1,500 views.
No harmful food dyes were used to make this cocktail! The tequila is truly optional here. I only used an ounce when I made it a cocktail because I did not want it overpowering the subtle grassy flavor of the butterfly flower tea. On its own, it does not taste like much, but when you add a bit of sweetener and some citrus, it has a pleasant flavor.
Butterfly Tea Punch
5 dried butterfly pea flowers
1 cup boiling water
1-2 teaspoons agave nectar
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz. Tequila (optional)
Ice
Pour boiling water over butterfly pea flowers and let cool. Add about 2 ounces of tea along with remaining ingredients, except the edible glitter, and shake Pour over ice and add glitter. Give a gentle stir and enjoy.
Cheers,
Anne
Vandana Singh, Chetan Pandit, Arpita Roy, Soumya Pandit, Ashutosh Kumar Rai, Anju Rani, Nishant Ranjan, Sarvesh Rustagi, Sumira Malik, “Degradation of food dyes via biological methods: A state-of-the-art review Bioresource Technology Reports, Volume 25, 2024
Lin, J., Ye, W., Xie, M. et al. Environmental impacts and remediation of dye-containing wastewater. Nat Rev Earth Environ 4, 785–803 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00489-8
https://www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/synthetic-food-dyes-rainbow-risks