Artificial Dyes: Health Risks and the Need for Revision of International Regulations

ABSTRACT

A narrative review was performed based on international regulations and health risks associated to artificial dyes’ consumption in countries as the United State, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, China, and India. Publications indicate that synthetic dyes can cause adverse effects. Some countries carry out constant legislation reviews to exclude or reduce the food dyes’ acceptable daily intake (ADI). The United States and India are more rigid, permitting, respectively, nine and eight colorants, and EU countries frequently altered or recommend a temporary ADI. Others, such as Brazil, need to review the substance’s permission to guarantee industrialized foods’ safe consumption.

KEYWORDS:

• Food
• food dyes
• toxicity
• legislation

Declaration of interest statement

All authors have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the research and development promotion agency Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the Universal Project number: 422405/2016–7 .