Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show where we take a closer look at news

research, headlines, and trends so that you can make more informed choices about what you're

putting on the dinner table or in your kids' lunch boxes. And one of the headlines that may have caught your attention recently

pertains to some new legislation in the state of California, which bans the use of certain food

colorings in public schools. So I wanted to take this opportunity to clear up some confusion on this

topic. And perhaps it's best to start

by setting the record straight on a few things. Number one, California has not banned the use

of these ingredients across the board. Rather, they've decided that foods containing these particular

colors may no longer be served as part of its

public school breakfast and lunch programs.

Number two, contrary to some other things you may have read online, these ingredients are not

already banned in other countries. These colors have, in fact, been approved as safe for use in human

foods by both the European Food Safety Authority as well as by Health Canada. What is true

is that the EFSA allows the use of these colors in some types of foods, such as candy or beverages,

but not others, such as ready-to-eat-eat-breakfast

cereals. And number three, this new ruling might cause you to think that there might be some

new research showing that these colorings are harmful. But in reality, the evidence on food

colorings and hyperactivity or other behavioral issues

in kids remains mixed and inconclusive.

Before we talk about the rationale behind this new restriction, let's talk about what

these food dyes are and why they are even added to foods in the first place.

So if you start reading ingredient lists, you might be surprised at how many foods have added

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