The dyes used in foods usually called coal tar dyes were discovered in UK in the 1850s, but were taken over by Germany due to their expertise in organic chemistry. Many were dominated by the dye trust which eventually became IG Farben (best known for chemical manufacture for the Nazis during the Hitler era).
A major advantage of synthetic dyes is they are light fast. Natural dyes often fade when exposed to light. Bread and butter pickles made with turmeric usually turn white on exposure to sunlight. The yellow goes away.
Second note that dyes are extremely intense. Extinction coefficients under Beers Lambert law are often 10,000 or more. That means a concentration of 1 part in 10,000 completely absorbs all light. Hence the solution is black. If you want pink Koolaid, the use level if often 10 ppm. Dyes are very powerful. Very low concentrations are used.
I can’t help but wonder if the “JCs” at Kellogg’s had a hint this was on the way, when they split off the cereal division, from the rest of the company, and the honchos stayed with the snacks division, instead of the cereal division?
But then, the snacks probably contain the same stuff?
FDA is putting a lot of effort into something with unproven, potentially minimal risk, while at the same time 1) reducing food safety inspections 2) gutting pandemic/bird flu teams 3) slashing cancer research 4) delaying vaccine approvals and downplaying their effectiveness.
It’s almost as if the government is being run by a bunch of quacks who make decisions based on podcasts and random twitter accounts, rather than science and research.
Dyes make our world attractive. Without them most clothes would be various shades of grays and browns. Blue jeans would not be blue. There would be no black. Reds and greens would be mostly left to flowers.
Greenfield Village runs a dying demonstration, one weekend in the fall, showing the various natural sources of dies that had been used 200-300 years ago.
Funny thing about indigo. The yard comes out of the pot dark green. Then the dye reacts in the air and turns blue. I was too fascinated watching to snap a pic when the yarn was green. Only caught it after the reaction.
Of course, I don’t think I would want to eat indigo.
" Most indigo dye produced today is synthetic, constituting around 80,000 tonnes each year, as of 2023.[2] It is most commonly associated with the production of denim cloth and blue jeans, where its properties allow for effects such as stone washing and acid washing to be applied quickly."
