What is red 40 lake?

Red 40 Lake is an insoluble food coloring found in foods, candies, drinks and more. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban artificial food dyes. Studies have shown that dyes cause hyperactivity in some children. Food dyes have been suspected of causing behavior problems since the 1970s when Dr. Ben Feingold, a San Francisco allergist, took his patients off food colorings, the basis for the Feingold Diet. Their behavior improved, he reported. Other studies have followed, most recently, two funded by the British government found that dyes and the preservative, sodium benzoate, adversely affected kids’ behavior. That has largely led to a push in the United Kingdom (UK) to have artificial colorings removed from foods. Mars Inc. uses natural colorings in their popular Starburst and Skittles candy. McDonald’s has removed artificial food dyes from their strawberry shakes and ice cream sundaes in the UK. In Britain, McDonald’s strawberry sauce color for sundaes comes from strawberries. In the U.S., it comes from Red dye #40.