It’s not a coincidence that you can find food for your pet in every rainbow hue. So, let me ask: Have you ever considered giving your pet artificial food coloring? Is there a risk?
When you open a bag, it is comforting to see the vivid yellow of chicken, the red of rare steak, and the green of fresh vegetables. These are all hues that the actual components may lose throughout the manufacturing process. These colors live often added after the event has already taken place.
Read More: How Much Does A Dog’s Health Depend On Food?
However, because canines and felines do not have the same color vision as humans, the colors have been chosen with pet owners in mind first and foremost.
This raises the issue of whether or not the use of artificial food colors is vital. If they do not provide anything of nutritional value, may there be a possibility that they do more harm than good?
Artificial food coloring for pets: A troubling past
In the 1880s, food coloring made vendors’ wares more attractive to customers.
Using colors in foods that were not always honest about freshness was one way to cover up rotting or discoloration caused by improper storage.
Some of the colors included toxins like mercury, arsenic, and lead, which usually had far more severe effects on humans than the initial degeneration of the food did.
The Food and Drugs Act of 1906 made using these potentially hazardous food colorings illegal. The vast majority of the food colorings still allowed were produced from coal-tar colors, which are byproducts of the coal manufacturing process.
Even these colors were later shown to be dangerous when, in the 1950s, trick-or-treaters in some different communities were sick after eating candy prepared with a common orange dye derived from coal tar. This occurred in several locations throughout the United States.
Before being banned, both an orange color addition and a red food color were subjected to tests to determine whether they were secure.
As a direct consequence, the Color Additives Amendments of 1960 stood enacted. These amendments enforced increased governmental surveillance and scientific safety verification for color additives used in the preparation of meals for humans and animals.
The FDA keeps close tabs
All color additives used in food for humans or animals are now subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration.
Every color additive must be listed with the FDA and placed in two categories: those required to be FDA certified and those not required to be approved. Artificial colors are what make up certified colors, and there are no more than ten different colors that may be used.
No requirements exist for certifying natural colors obtained from plants, minerals, or animals.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also imposes stringent guidelines for the use of colors, which include the categories of foods that may be colored, the maximum amount of coloring that may be used, and how the paint must live declared on the product’s packaging. Despite this, the FDA does routine checks to ensure that all food colors are safe to consume.
Artificial food coloring for pets: Is it safe for your dog-cat?
Food dyes pose risks to human health, including an increased risk of cancer, allergic reactions, and hyperactivity in children, as stated in a document released in 2010 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Studies have revealed that some food colors, especially those used in excessive amounts, may cause cancer; however, these hues are not currently among those allowed by the FDA for use in foods. If food colorings authorized by the FDA are applied correctly, they should be safe for consumption in human and animal diets.
Rare are those individuals who suffer from an allergy to food colorings. On the other hand, cats and dogs are more likely to have allergic reactions to the proteins that are part of their diet.
In conclusion, investigations conducted to determine whether food colorings promote hyperactivity in children have shown inconclusive results.
Read More: Is Food Coloring Safe For Cats To Eat?
However, although we would assume that food colorings that are safe for people are also safe for pets, there is a shortage of research examining the effects of color additives on domesticated animals like cats and dogs.
A move from artificial to natural
According to a new Nielsen Global Survey, artificial colors are among the top three things people want to avoid.
Several large food corporations, such as General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, Mars, Nestlé, and Frito-Lay, are actively searching for natural alternatives to artificial colors in their products. This is most likely due to client demand.
Most pet owners are worried about the contents of the food they feed their dogs, and this is understandable.
More and more pet owners will look for ingredient lists that do not include “artificial,” even if FDA-approved food colors seem safe.
This blog’s material was developed in conjunction with our veterinarian to assist in the education of pet owners.
If you have questions or crises about your pet’s health or nutrition, immediately make an appointment with your veterinarian.
