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When you take a bite of Skittles, you’re consuming an ingredient that originates in an oil well.
The process begins when the drill pumps out black, viscous crude oil. In a refinery, that oil is heated and carefully separated into parts, both fuels like gasoline and jet fuel, but also aromatic hydrocarbons, like benzene and toluene.
Chemists take these hydrocarbons and process them further, creating resorcinol, a new, reactive compound. That’s combined with another petroleum byproduct, phthalic anhydride, and heated until a new compound emerges: Fluorescein, which has a yellowish-green tint. Add iodine, and the color transforms into bright, brilliant Red 3.
Red 3 is processed, purified, and packaged into a fine powder, then shipped to factories, where it’s put into cereals (e.g., Lucky Charms, Trix, and Crunch Berries), candy (e.g. Brach’s Candy Corn, Pez, and Nerds), and snacks (e.g. Little Bites, Betty Crocker’s Loaded Mashed Potatoes, and Fruit by the Foot).
What it’s not put into are skin creams or cosmetics: In 1990, the FDA banned the use of Red 3 in those after a study linked it to elevated risk of thyroid cancer in rats. The amounts included in food, the FDA said, were too small to worry about.
While a 1960 law prohibits the FDA from allowing cancer-causing additives in food, the FDA states, “The way that Red No. 3 causes cancer in animals, specifically rats, does not occur in humans so these animal results have limited relevance to humans.”
The prior section could be repeated for numerous other petroleum-based colorings and additives, which bear names like Yellow 5, Red 40, TBHQ, and BHT and are found in many ultraprocessed foods.
These additives are all FDA approved, but are they safe? Let’s dive into the research.
The rest of our deep dive explains what is known about food dyes and their impacts on cancer risk and kids’ behavior. You can sign up for a free trial at the button below. Once you do, you can access all our premium articles here. Thank you for supporting our mission!
Editor’s Note
Given all of that, we’re curious to hear your thoughts: Should they be restricted or banned? Does knowing this history change your perception of them? Is RFK right in calling them “poisons?”
Let us know – and enjoy your Sundays.
–Max and Max
RocaNews co-founders
