Like most parents, Whitney and Brandon Cawood always believed their son was sweet, smart, curious, and—deep down—even-tempered.

It was harder to convince the rest of the world. He would often bite, hit, and push other children. Adults who cared for him in daycare, church, and on playdates reported his behavior as impulsive and aggressive.

The youngster was even kicked out of a half-day preschool. Behavior therapy, new parenting techniques, and more correction didn’t help. Only in rare glimpses did the Cawoods experience a calm, carefree version of their son—and it gave them hope.

Desperate for answers, they tried a food-elimination diet for attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After taking gluten, dairy, and food containing artificial food dyes out of his diet, peace reigned.

In fact, the Cawoods discovered their son’s interminable winsome temperament.

The re-introducing of foods back into their son’s diet brought the realization that he'd been suffering an ongoing neurological reaction to food. Slowly adding back gluten and dairy changed nothing. His first exposure to food dyes, however, was telling.

“Within 15 minutes, we saw a noticeable difference,” Mrs. Cawood told The Epoch Times. “The child we had before—the hitting and the pitching fits and very difficult to reason with—he came flooding back. We knew immediately the dyes were affecting him.”

Since then, the Cawoods have joined a chorus of families, health influencers, and leaders putting increased pressure on the food industry and government for largely ignoring an issue that has been in the public eye for decades. They want a ban on artificial food dyes—or at least labels that warn about research-validated links between artificial dyes and neurodevelopmental issues.

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also championed this cause. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Kennedy as Secretary of Health and Human Services, where he is expected to overhaul federal agencies that oversee health care, food, and drugs. In mid-October, Kennedy shared a video online targeting tartrazine, also known as Yellow 5, a food dye made from petroleum.

“President Trump and I are going to stop the mass poisoning of American children,” Kennedy says in the video, which notes that Yellow 5 is one of several artificial food dyes that are part of a broader category of additives that are “chemical poisons.”

Connecting the Dots

American food corporations already make products free of artificial dyes for other countries. Banning dyes here altogether seems a simple courtesy, especially since food dyes do nothing to preserve food or change its taste—and naturally sourced dyes are readily available, according to Lisa Lefferts, consultant and author of the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s 2016 report “Seeing Red.”

“I’ve talked to parents who took years to connect the dots that their children’s behavioral problems have anything to do with food dye,” Lefferts told The Epoch Times. Not all children react to the same degree as the Cawoods’ son, though cumulative exposure can be difficult to track.

“These dyes should not be in the food supply,” Lefferts said. “It’s heartbreaking that parents and kids have to go through so much. It makes me so angry.”

To maintain their son’s true persona, the Cawoods had to re-envision life for their family, dodging petroleum-based dyes that seemed to be everywhere—school lunchrooms, birthday parties, classroom snacks, Sunday school, field trips, and restaurants.

Helping Other Parents

Rather than navigate the challenges alone, Mrs. Cawood created a Facebook community that exploded. Now, more than 590,000 similarly struggling families are sharing advice and tips about living without synthetic dyes.

The Cawoods became heavy-hearted from stories of families enduring lengthy struggles to learn that artificial dyes were behind neurodevelopmental symptoms. In one case, they learned of a mother who couldn’t completely eliminate dyes for her child who was having reactions because red colorant was in her child’s epilepsy medication.

“The only way she could avoid it was to have the medication compounded, which would cost $1,000 a month, and she would have had to get a second job to do that,” Mr. Cawood told The Epoch Times. “It’s crazy.”

Injustices propelled them to do more than scrutinize every food label. They want to let other families know that misbehaving children could be acting out a food reaction. Since Mr. Cawood has a background in video production, they created a documentary called “To Dye For” to be released soon.

Is There a Behavior Link?

In her report, Lefferts noted ample research on behavioral effects of dyes that date back to the late 1970s, including research showing that increased movement, impulsivity, and inattention are problematic symptoms even in children who aren’t diagnosed with ADHD.

More recently, a meta-analysis in Environmental Health found that 16 of 25 studies showed a positive association between artificial food dyes and behavioral issues, with 13 of the studies showing a “statistically significant” association. Animal studies further support the relationship, according to the study, which stated that the FDA’s acceptable daily intakes are flawed because they weren’t designed to assess behavioral effects in children.

There are nine chemical color additives certified by the FDA. The agency tests a sample of each batch made before it can be used. In 2022, the FDA tested 28.1 million pounds of color additives, mostly used for food. Pigments made from plants and animals don’t require certification but must follow safety protocols.

Many clinicians—familiar with evidence and testimonies from their patients—often recommend that artificial food dyes be avoided, particularly for children with ADHD, Lefferts said.

Dr. L. Eugene Arnold, a child psychiatrist at the Nisonger Center at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, is one of those clinicians.

He said some parents report removal of foods with artificial dyes completely resolve their child’s behavioral issues. Often, however, it’s more of an adjunct treatment for children who already have neurodevelopmental problems.

A Public Health Problem

Arnold said the fact that dyes can impact children with no history of hyperactivity or inattentiveness makes artificial dyes a “public health problem” rather than solely an ADHD issue.

Because of their non-essential nature, dyes also needn’t meet a high standard for creating harm like additives that help preserve food from spoiling, Arnold added.

“All they do is make foods more attractive, and who needs to make foods more attractive in the middle of an obesity epidemic?” he said. “There’s really no good reason for not banning it or at least putting a warning label on it, which would amount to almost the same thing.”

Production of artificial dyes grew from 10 milligrams per person per day to 66 milligrams per person per day over 55 years. Some of that may account for exports and non-food products.

The EU began requiring products with artificial food coloring to add a label in 2010. As a consequence, companies began substituting them with natural dyes. Yet many companies choose to make two versions of products, like cereal and packaged snacks, keeping synthetic dyes in those sold in the United States.

Building Pressure

Vani Hari, known online as the “Food Babe,” has made it her personal mission to pressure American corporations to remove artificial food colorings. She delivered over 400,000 signatures on a petition to WK Kellogg Co. in October, asking them to follow through on a 2018 commitment to remove artificial colors from its breakfast cereals like Froot Loops and Apple Jacks.

“All of Kellogg’s cereals are free from artificial colors and BHT in Europe and Australia. Kellogg’s has specifically sold Froot Loops and Unicorn Cereal in other countries without artificial colors or BHT, so they already have the formula. We deserve the same, safer cereals that other countries get,” her online petition states.

She was joined by hundreds of other protesters in October at Kellogg headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich., demanding an explanation. The company sent a security guard out to collect several boxes of petitions but would not allow Hari inside to discuss the issue.

Hari and others are now calling for a boycott of Kellogg’s products.

Kellogg’s told The Epoch Times in an email statement that it is reviewing the petition and plans to share it with the FDA.

“The quality and safety of our foods is our top priority. We ensure our products—and the ingredients we use to make them—are compliant with all applicable relevant laws and regulations and we remain committed to transparently labeling our ingredients so consumers can easily make choices about the food they purchase,” the company wrote.

It added that more than 85 percent of its cereals are free of artificial colors and that its offerings meet consumer demands. Additionally, it highlighted efforts to include important nutrients and fiber in its cereals.

Hari’s petition and protest have received national attention, including coverage on Good Morning America. In 2019, she gathered 365,000 signatures asking Kraft to remove Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 dyes in Mac and Cheese. Within months, the company announced it would replace them with natural alternatives—paprika, turmeric, and annatto.

Hidden in Foods and Beyond

One problem with artificial food dyes is that they aren’t always easily identified. The Cawoods quickly learned that artificial food dyes lurk in some unanticipated places beyond brightly-colored food products designed to woo children.

On a couple of occasions, their son ended up having a week of bad behavior. It took a bit of sleuthing to figure out it was caused by spinach wraps, colored with blue and yellow dyes, on one occasion and by marshmallows, which often have blue dye, on another. The family also discovered his allergy medication contained Red 40.

Food wasn’t the only problem. The Cawoods discovered their son would react to dye-filled markers, paints, and even a temporary tattoo given to him at a restaurant.

“He got so frustrated and hit us at the restaurant, and we were like, ‘Woah. Where did that come from?’” Mrs. Cawood said. “It took us a couple of hours to realize it was the tattoo, and then 24 hours later, he was back to normal.”

Now, they use “liquid gloves,” a product that blocks the absorption of synthetic dyes when he works on art projects.

Artificial food colors can hide in seemingly innocuous places, such as makeup, bath salts, pickles, hamburgers, and white foods like vanilla ice cream and cheese.

Given the vast number of children’s products containing dyes, pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene said, families can get exhausted trying to eliminate them. He’s been speaking out about artificial dyes for many years.

While most people associate cereals, candy, and snacks with artificial colors, he told The Epoch Times that the top exposure for most children comes from liquids. Most of that is from brightly-colored sugary drinks but can also be from medications.

“They’re also in painkillers prescribed to kids and pregnant women, cough syrups, cold syrups, allergy syrups. Often people just don’t think about it when they’re taking a vitamin or medication,” Greene said. “They’re lurking in chewable and gummy vitamins, which—if used as directed—children tend to take every day.”

Problems Lead to Legislation

Overconsumption of dye-filled juice and soft drinks were only part of the problem identified in a comprehensive report by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Launched in 2018, the report has been heralded as the best investigation of artificial dyes to date by Lefferts and others. The process involved gathering public comments and scientific information in advance of a two-day symposium. Information was discussed among people representing academics, policymaking, and the industry. The report underwent an expert peer review process before being finalized.

It concluded that eating foods with synthetic dyes results in hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems—irritability, poor temper control, inattention, and trouble responding to social cues—for some children.

Other findings highlighted in the report:

• Acceptable levels for dyes are based on 35–70-year-old studies and weren’t designed to hone in on children’s behavior.
• Children are exposed to multiple dyes in a day’s time. Sensitivity levels varied.
• ADHD, exacerbated by synthetic dyes, has become more prevalent, with rates rising from 6.1 percent to 10.2 percent in 20 years.
• Animal studies show synthetic dyes cause microscopic changes in brain structure and affect activity, memory, learning, and neurotransmitters, chemicals that send messages between neurons.

Red dye No. 3 was banned by the FDA on Jan. 15, 2025 after already being banned in California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also recently signed a bill that will outlaw six dyes from food sold at schools starting in 2028. Other states are considering legislation to ban some artificial food dyes.

The International Association of Color Manufacturers noted in a statement that the new policies only add to confusion by deviating from FDA conclusions. There is no direct link between synthetic food colors and behavior problems, according to the association, which points to the FDA as having already made this conclusion.

“Schools are one of the hardest places to avoid dyes, so I’m happy about the California legislation,” Greene said. “For some kids, it’s a good thing to try removing from the diet, and it seems to make a really big difference. I can observe their behavior and school performance is better.”

Avoiding Artificial Dyes

For families who want to avoid artificial food dyes, Greene said it’s easier than you might think without instigating constant battles with your children.

“There are good options for almost everything without the food dyes. Certainly, if you’re eating whole foods, it’s easy,” he said. “We can choose what we eat, and there are delicious foods that don’t have chemicals in them.”

Greene said trying anything six to eight times improves the chance they’ll like the food long-term. Parents can be gently persistent when serving food to youngsters.

Also, he noted research showing that the more children are involved with food, the more likely they are to like it. Planting, growing, picking, and preparing food make a child more apt to eat and enjoy it.

The families in Whitney Cawood’s Facebook group offer suggestions on brands free of artificial dyes—like fruit snacks, pickles, holiday candy, and even spices. Easy access to information about convenient swaps can make the transition to artificial dye-free living less stressful, she said.

Spreading Hope

That’s also the goal of the upcoming documentary. Rather than framing the issue with doom and gloom, Mrs. Cawood said they aim to raise awareness and spread hope.

“We very wholeheartedly did not want it to be a documentary where you’ve got to turn your whole world upside down. It’s stressful so we have a lot of uplifting calls to action,” she said.

Now 6, Mrs. Cawood’s son is in the 99th percentile in math and reading. His teacher has expressed no concerns about behavioral issues.

For some families, removing synthetic dyes from food is only the first step. Greene noted many other toxicities that children eat, breathe, or put on their skin can cause behavioral and other symptoms.

He coaches families in minimizing toxicities, particularly in food, and synthetic dyes are only one part of that action plan. The result, Greene said, is often a palpable shift from chaos to calm in family and school dynamics.

“Chronic exposure to things that are causing damage is one of the things I try to get kids to avoid,” he said. “Is this as big an issue as the huge amount of sugar kids eat and drink? No. But it’s something that is controllable.”