Overview

• Researchers analyzed labels of nearly 40,000 grocery items and found synthetic dyes in 19% of products sold by top US food manufacturers
• Products marketed to children were most affected, with 28% of confectionery, sugary drinks, cereals and baked goods containing artificial colors compared with 11% in other categories
• Dyed products averaged 33.3 grams of sugar per 100 grams—141% more than items without synthetic dyes—highlighting combined risks of colorants and high sugar
• Confectionery companies Ferrero and Mars were identified as the worst offenders with 60% and 52% of their products containing dyes, while PepsiCo has started phasing out artificial colors
• Co-author Thomas Galligan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest called for policy measures such as bans or warning labels to reduce consumer exposure