Grocery Manufacturers Association Comments on Safety of Artificial Colors

Grocery Manufacturers Association Comments on Safety of Artificial Colors



(WASHINGTON, DC) In comments today before the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Food Advisory Committee Meeting on certified color additives and hyperactivity in children, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) made the following statement:



“The safety of artificial colors has been affirmed through extensive review by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) (via the food additive review process) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and neither agency sees the need to change current policy. All of the major safety bodies globally have reviewed the available science and have determined that there is no demonstrable link between artificial food colors and hyperactivity among children. These expert evaluations were conducted by the European Food Safety Authority(EFSA); the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ); the United Kingdom Committee on Toxicity (of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment) (UK COT); the German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR); the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, and the Processing Aids, Materials in Contact with Food and Cosmetics of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety.”



“GMA is comprised of producers, packagers and others who produce and sell food, beverages, and other packaged consumer goods. Ensuring the safety of our products – and maintaining the confidence of consumers – is the single most important goal of our industry. Product safety is the foundation of consumer trust, and our industry devotes enormous resources to ensure that our products are safe. Our companies continuously review and monitor all emerging science and scientific studies and incorporate these as warranted into our manufacturing practices to help ensure that we are always producing the safest possible product for our consumers.”