Along the path to more natural, healthy living is the rejection of widely used artificial food colorings. But when it’s time to decorate holiday sugar cookies or add some color to that birthday cake, what do you do?
Smart mamas know that artificial colors like yellow 5, red 40 and blue 1 are NOT healthy for kids. Decades of study have shown that artificial food colorings cause hyperactivity and allergic reactions. Countless parents have been thrilled to see improved behavior and attention span in children who go off a diet high in artificial colorings. (I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that they also thereby give up lots of heavily processed foods filled with high fructose corn syrup. Don’t get me started). Read more at The Scoop on Food Colorings. While the UK has succeeded in eliminating these unnecessary (but cheap) chemicals from their foods, the FDA is not backing down on its support of artificial colorings in the states. Go figure.
We never buy food colored artificially, but there are still several tubes of artificial coloring in my baking cabinet. Now that I know better, how can I fulfil my daughter’s dream for colorful birthday cupcakes? (And people wonder why birthday parties send kids bouncing off the walls). There must be a better way.
I sent my husband to our regular natural food store to buy natural food coloring. No luck. Next I called every health food store in our area and even a speciality baking store downtown. Nada. Nothing. So, apparently EVERYONE still uses artificial flavors for baking? What’s with that?
I found India Tree’s natural food coloring after a little searching online. They are one of only a very few companies that makes natural food coloring and the ingredients are straightforward:
Blue: glycerin, deionized water, red cabbage.
Red: beet juice, citric acid.
Yellow: Deionized water, glycerin, curcumin.
I confirmed that no one in my area carried the product and set out to order it online. India Tree’s food coloring set includes three bottles, one each primary color. Combinations produce the whole color spectrum so tantalizingly displayed here. The Natural Candy Store sells the set for $19.49 plus shipping. Not so cheap. 
I ended up buying Amazon’s 2-pack (so that’s 2 red, 2 blue, 2 yellow) for $34.46, which qualifies for free shipping. It was easy to find another natural-savvy mom who purchased the 2nd set from me!
I’ve already used the colors on my daughters aforementioned birthday cupcakes. The colors came out a lot like the sample picture, though I had to use several drops to get them intense. I was a little disappointed in the blue, which is such a periwinkle color. But, beggars can’t be choosers. Aria was VERY happy with the results! I’m looking forward to using them again this Christmas to color the icing for our sugar cookies!
Related posts:
- Toxic Chemicals may be Making our Kids Fat!
- Children and Chemicals
- Simple Habits to Keep the Toxins out of your Food
- The Scoop on Food Colorings
- Saying “no” to Junk Food
Tags: baking, food coloring, natural food coloring
wow… I would love to find those… my boys have been colouring free for a few years now… sadly, amazon doesn’t ship to Canada…
The findings of the Southhampton study on food colours were also rejected in Australia, which was disappointing. There have been many adverse events which are being reported in relation to artificial or synthetic petrochemical based food dyes.
Europe tend to be more aware of the dangers associated with artificial food colourings.
I don’t know that consumers are all aware of the fact that eating coal tar is all that healthy. It might look pretty but it just isn’t very good for you.
The chemical maze is a great resource on food additives.
I don’t think you should expect too much from natural food colourings. You might have to compromise a little on the brilliance of the colour result as you mention with the blue food colouring. It sounds as if your daughter was pleased with the colour which is the important thing.
There are some companies in Australia such as http://www.hullaballoo.com.au which are also putting out natural food colouring in response to ‘red cordial syndrome’ and allergic reactions experienced by children and adults to artificial food colouring.
I think additive free is the best way to go.
Some of the natural food colourings aren’t so appealing either. Annatto is basically crushed beetle carcuses. The beetles are boiled alive, and their carcusses dried in the sun to make us red food colouring. How natural is that?
Wow, makes me glad that this red is made with beet juice!
[...] Natural Food Coloring for Baking [...]
Hi there, I’m a few months late, but I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your website. Also, Bickford Flavors makes natural coloring – I use the beet red color in my “pink” velvet cake (no where near red, but it tastes great). It’s really hard to find though, unless you order it online, and it costs a little less than India Tree.
Very usefull post , thx
[...] you can use traditional ones. However, if you’d like to go a more natural route, check out this link for one and see here and here for where you can buy [...]
[...] you can use traditional ones. However, if you’d like to go a more natural route, check out this link for one and see here and here for where you can buy [...]
wow..amazing that will be healthy