Local Food Experts Support State Ban On Food Dyes In School Lunches

Last month, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed authorities prohibiting nationalist simple and secondary schools from serving lunches containing colour additives starting connected July 1, 2027. 

Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent (R-Warsaw) and Senator Emily Jordan (R-Smithfield) sponsored nan authorities HB 1910 and SB 1289.   

“Every kid successful Virginia deserves to commencement nan time pinch a nutritious repast that will substance their world success,” Jordan said. 

Food experts Katie Steverson and Lilian de Jonge support Youngkin’s determination to prohibition colour additives for nan healthiest student learning outcomes. 

Many nutrient dyes are synthetic and derived from petroleum aliases ember tar byproducts. Carmine, a reddish dye, is derived from nan cochineal insect. These additives springiness foods brighter colors to make them much appealing to eat. They person been included successful schoolhouse meal and luncheon programs and are being banned by nan Commonwealth of Virginia.  

“I’m encouraged by this movement,” Youngkin said. “The authorities provides Virginia families pinch healthier options for schoolhouse meals.”

It’s important to statement that nan authorities does not screen “competitive foods” sold to students separately during nan schoolhouse day. These foods see vending instrumentality snacks, carbonated beverages, and consequence juices sold extracurricular of nutrient served by schoolhouse cafeterias. 

The authorities told schools to extremity serving foods pinch nan pursuing colour additives: Blue No. 1,  Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Yellow No. 6.   

de Jonge, a nutrition and nutrient studies professor astatine George Mason University, agrees pinch nan scheme to debar nutrient pinch colour additives. She recommends that young children eat much earthy foods to forestall higher nutrient sensitivity, successful which nan assemblage has difficulties tolerating definite foods, specified arsenic dyed foods. 

“If you expose your kid to foods without colour additives, they will want to commencement eating much earthy foods,” de Jonge said.  

Individual contributions

In Lorton, Steverson, president and CEO of Fairfax Food Service, a backstage nutrient catering work that provides meals to schools and daycare centers, said nan legislative improvement is invited news. 

According to her research, ketchup and spaghetti condiment are 2 foods that incorporate reddish colour additives to make them look brighter.

In November 2023, Steverson added much lentils and different works proteins to whole-grain noodles arsenic a healthier replacement to regular noodles pinch beef and condiment that usage reddish nutrient dye to her sample menu. She encourages students to effort meals pinch patient and dye-free ingredients.

“It’s a mini modification without changing nan menu,” Steverson said.

Health risks    

Experts astatine nan Center for Science successful nan Public Interest, a Washington, D.C., non-profit group that advocates for nutrition, nutrient safety, and younker health, opportunity that young children pinch prolonged vulnerability to colour additives struggle to study and win successful school.  

In January, Yale New Haven Health, a diary affiliated pinch Yale University, published an article that discussed really chemic substances origin accrued hyperactivity successful students during schoolhouse hours. The article’s authors reported that Red No. 3 is made pinch erythrosine. This petroleum derivative increases student hyperactivity and is often consumed by children eating saccharine foods, including candy, popsicles, and toaster pastries pinch reddish dye. 

At George Mason, de Jonge said colour additives origin declines successful student behavior, intelligence status, and sleeping habits. Students acquisition accrued levels of ADHD and sensitivity to colour additives, she said, noting that avoiding them helps alteration nan students’ hyperactivity.  

“Color additives only make a food’s colour brighter,” de Jonge said. “If you person a unchangeable child, nan effects are smaller than children who are irritable and hyperactive.”

Steverson said young children eat foods pinch colour additives because they look much charismatic and appetizing pinch brighter colors. Ingesting nan nutrient dyes tin effect their learning and decision-making.   

She recommended that parents and educators thatch younker to believe “mindful” eating habits. She added that young children don’t cognize astir nan dangers of colour additives and must debar foods pinch them to flooded learning challenges. 

“When you’re younger, your cognitive capabilities perpetually evolve,” Steverson said. “It takes clip to spot effects from mindful nutrient consumption.”  

Longevity of schoolhouse lunches   

Steverson and de Jonge stock beardown perspectives connected student learning from healthier schoolhouse lunches. 

In nan early 2000s, Steverson added foods without colour additives to her menus to promote schools to adopt ‘mindful changes’ connected students’ and schoolhouse menus.   

“People successful immoderate mounting usability amended without additives,” Steverson said. “Students clasp much information, study better, and amended their cognitive abilities.”  

de Jonge added that arsenic schools region colour additives from lunches, she hopes families tin promote their children to eat capable nutritious meals during nan day.  

“The only advantage of colour additives is that our nutrient looks much appetizing,” de Jonge said. “It doesn’t adhd thing to nan value of nan nutrient children eat.”