It's long been known that color has a direct effect on perceived flavors of foods, but do you really know what colors your foods? Coloring is added to many foods to enhance their appeal, but what exactly are they? Are they safe?
Food coloring history
Ancient Romans used saffron and other spices to put a rich yellow color into various foods. Other natural foods, such as carrots, pomegranates, grapes, mulberries, spinach, beets, parsley and flowers, were also used as food coloring agents. Our ancestors also used minerals and ores, such as azure (copper carbonate), gold and silver leaf, some of which were downright poisonous if used improperly. Elise Fleming researched cookbooks dating as far back as 1390 A.D., and has compiled an interesting list of food additives used hundred of years ago with charming quotes in olde english from sources in her informative treatise on the food coloring of yesteryear.
Food color laws and regulations
The Food and Drug Act of 1906 in the United States established a voluntary certification program regulating the addition of colors to our foods in the States. Mandatory certification came with the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) Act of 1938, regulating what color enhancers could be added to not only foods, but also drugs and cosmetics. In 1960, the laws were further amended to require any color additive be on the Federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved list. And, most recently, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 now requires that any certifiable color additive used in food must be listed in the ingredient statement by its common or usual name. All new color additives must be tested and proved not to cause harmful effects when consumed, and are approved only by petition to the FDA to be added to the certified list. Once approved, the FDA may still restrict usage to only certain types of foods.
The United Kingdom also regulates food color additives in their territories. The fifteen countries comprising Member States of the European Union Community have also established regulations on color additives to foods with quite an extensive list.
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