This yellow is toxic | How To Cook That Ann Reardon 

my normal process now is getting ready for bed and curling up with a nice, new ann video! great work as usual 🥳

I had a teacher in HS who had a poster on her wall that said "SNAKE VENOM IS ALL NATURAL TOO" and that's stuck with me whenever someone tries to use "it's natural!" to insist something is safe

thank you for clearly showing how natural does not necessarily mean safe, I hate how this has become a massive marketing term

7:30 A helpful bit of context here is that purple was still a very expensive dye to produce and sought after because of its expense and rarity, so he more or less stumbled on purple gold. If there was any color dye most beneficial to accidentally create, it was purple.

I was one of those ADHD kids who were tested to see if red food dye was the culprit. Because of this I can firmly say that ADHD is not caused by food coloring.

As an ADHDer, those claims that food dyes are "causing" ADHD have always bothered me. I'm very glad you covered it because people often misrepresent or sensationalize the research, which contributes to misunderstanding and spreads misinformation about the disorder.

Me who grew up on a farm with natural ingredients, nothing store brought, and still ended up with ADHD: must've been the food coloring. :(

One of my high school classmates thought she was allergic to anything red. Turns out… she was actually allergic to those cochineal beetles! But since those are used in so many things, she opted to get allergy meds. Things like makeup can have the beetle color

"It's not as simple as that" Pretty much sums up the internet. People try to distill everything down into a meme - that's why it's important to get a fuller, balance explanation like Ann provides! Love her videos and approach.

The yellow in the burger is probably to make it look like a brioche with lots of butter or something

THIS is what a "balanced take" looks like. Clear, unbiased, backed with data, and presented in an informative but still engaging way. One would be hard-pressed to find a single moment in this video where Ann is *telling* the viewers the answer the a question (rather than presenting the facts and letting you come to your own conclusions), and yet I still come away feeling more educated than I went in and that's great. Thanks for making such fantastic content all these years.

I'm close with someone who's allergic to turmeric, a very popular yellow/orange food dye, just because something is natural does not mean that it's necessarily safe for everyone, awesome video!

As one of those rare people with an allergy to artificial dye (at least when I was younger, it takes a lot more of it to cause a reaction now) knowing right away what it is is true! I didn't get asthma/anaphylaxis, but I did break out in hives pretty badly, it happened with one of the reds, but also Skittles on the whole - which we later learned was because ALL Skittles have (or at least had) that red in the chewy filling part. Of course, trying to explain this to other kids (and some not-so-bright parents) just made them think I couldn't have ANY red food, including apples, tomatoes, cherries and strawberries.

as a foodchemist working in offical risk assessment it drives me crazy how much misconceptions there are among normal people because everyone can say bs on the internet and the more polarizing it is the more people will hop on the train. im so glad you are one of the few that takes a neutral professional take on this topic

Thank you for covering food dyes and neuroatypicality and how they're NOT linked! I'm both autistic and have ADHD, and I've had these since I was born. However, I ALSO had an allergy to a common blue food dye used commercially in the US in the 90s, and for YEARS it was assumed "the blue dye makes their symptoms worse! They're so squirmy and can't sit still!" It's because I was covered in itchy hives! Nobody ever thought to see if maybe something else was going on because "everybody knows food dye makes kids with ADHD get worse!"

I love that she has a jar of toxic poison just in a sandwich bag lmao

I'm glad Ann pointed out the allergy aspect, as most videos take on the ADHD bingo word. Both my mother and I have an intolerance of Tartrazine, also known as "Yellow #5", "E120", "Yellow Lake 69", "Food Yellow 4", "Acid Yellow 4" and "Trisodium" plus like 93 other names all of which can not only be found in food but, hair product, cosmetics and some clothing. For us it caused migraine and swollen ankles if we consume it and hives if we wear clothes with it, trust me THAT was an experience. Thanks Ann for a nice neutral experience.

You could do a whole series on "The Horrible History of Food Safety". I have a couple of household hint books with sections for detecting adulteration in foods - a good housewife had to be a chemist. And found one that explained all the common tricks used by British food sellers and how to detect them.

You continue to be one of the best science channels out there even as a cooking show. You don’t just say “that doesn’t work” you explain the science of it and show visual demonstrations to help better understand it.

I was a microbiologist in a food safety lab and I know some colleagues of mine published research suggesting that azo dyes (very common food colouring) can alter the gastrointestinal microbiome. I suspect that a lot of the more finicky behavioural changes associated with artificial dyes may be linked to this alteration as our gut microbiota confer a greater influence on our mental health than we fully understand.

I’m from Norway, and as you were saying I grew up without «brightly colored candy», our candy was probably more subdued in terms of color. My only thoughts and memories regarding that is we had to go to Sweden to get a hold of blue candy. But to this day, I think sweets with bright colors look off-putting, and I never buy them really. Not because I think they are dangerous, but because I’m not used to them I guess. «Blue rasberry» is alien-like to me 😅

I remember back in middle school I had a friend who “couldn’t have food dye” because her mom told her that food dye made her go crazy and the last time she ate food coloring she “ate her sisters blanket”. Her favorite snack she had every day was goldfish.

I love how respectful you are about the stratagies they used 200 years ago. A lot of people would have said "Ew they used bugs in their food! Thats disgusting!" But instead, you explained how we still use that method today and how it makes a nice colour. People tend to act like everything from the past was disgusting and barbaric when we still do the same stuff today. Great vid, Ann!

I've got a pair of cousins, who are brothers, that used to have a lot of health issues when they were kids (they're just over a year apart in age). It drove my aunt and uncle nuts because no one could figure out the problem. Then my uncle noticed that they would get exceptionally bad after going to baseball games and eating red hot dogs. It was kind of a lightbulb moment for him. He then went home, went over the labels on the kids favorite foods and noticed that almost all of them contained Red 40( ?.. I think it was 40) coloring. So, he went out and bought a bunch of food without the Red coloring on the ingredients label and only let them eat those foods for a couple of weeks. Problem solved. They had no issues at all once it was cut from their diets. They're both in their 40's now and still check the labels to make sure Red coloring isn't included and they haven't had any of the problems that plagued them as kids.

My dad gets migraines if he eats anything with any red/yellow/blue food dyes. He even found out that his denture tablets have yellow dye after scouring the manufactures website. Changed them out, dropped food dyes and minimized his migraines (although he does have other food triggers as well). Every body is different and reacts to everything differently, but being aware is the best thing a person can do 😊

I wonder if you'd consider doing a video about MSGs, and the whole debate surrounding whether its harmful or not? Might be interesting.

I paint and I recognize some of those pigments. Some pigments have been banned even from oil paint, like lead white. We use mostly mineral pigments for painting, in the hopes they will last a century at least. That is why natural pigments can't be used in paints, they rot and change pretty fast. On the other hand, while learning about tattoo pigments and how unregulated and unknown they are, also how the body deals with them inside the skin, I decided not to get tattooed.

In Canada a few years ago I remember one Halloween night my chocolate candy (Smarties for Canadians) had muted colors. I found it strange at the time, but that must be when they changed to natural coloring. To be honest, even if the blue wasn't electric anymore, it didn't change my enjoyement of the chocolate. To this day, the colors are soft muted, but I don't mind at all.

I think in the past Kraft (in both the US and Canada) used tartrazine to dye the cheese powder in their boxed macaroni and cheese - now they use turmeric and annatto, which just makes more sense to me because annatto is what gives red cheddar its color.

Thank you so much for talking about the fact that "natural" is not synonymous with "safe." Just as synthetic is not synonymous with unsafe. It's one of my big pet peeves. That and when people say things are full of "Chemicals!" I'm always like, did y'all not have a chemistry class? Everything is made of chemicals.

Too often do people equate natural with safe and artificial with toxic when the real answer is "it depends". Thank you for making these videos.

As someone with ADHD and autism, the fact that people claim that red dyes cause mental illnesses is so frustrating because it just blames me for something that I didn't choose to have. When I ask for accommodation in school or help with my symptoms in everyday life, they have an easy out, saying well you did this yourself, instead of giving me the help I actually need.

Ann is like a stable, vivid, natural blue food colour then. So rare and you can’t look away. I’m addicted, more videos please!

I didn’t know that Prussian blue came from peas at first. It’s an amazing color that saw heavy use in Japanese woodblock printing.

It's like ham here in France. Manufacturers decides to stop adding Nitrites for conservation so the sliced ham is no longer bright pink! It's a little greyish pink and my mom refuses to buy the 'new' ham because the color makes the ham looking already old. I don't mind the color of my ham, as it isn't already green or covered with mold of course! x)

I’ve made rainbow pasta before. My niece loves the blue so I bought some butterfly blue pea flowers and it made a very vibrant blue. Green I make from any leafy greens or peas. Beetroot makes a lovely red and you can get purple by mixing it with the blue. It’s not hard to get colours…just time consuming and not always cheap. But a great way of getting some extra goodness into food.

The amount of research you do to your videos must be astounding. You are not just covering Australia, but the other world as well. Massive respect in an era where misinformation is so common. How I tackle the food additives thing is I make my own bread, my own cakes and cookies and stick to vegetarian diet most of the time - fresh produce I prep myself. I realize many people don't have the facilities or the fresh produce in their countries is too expensive and I am glad that there are studies made to make the food more healthy.

I am very very glad you've talked about how natural doesn't always mean safe. I mean, snake poison is natural too lol. But it has become such a buzzword for the food, health and make-up/skincare industries that people don't tend to look into it as much as they should. Comprehensive and easy to understand as always Ann! I am very glad you're bringing science into the lives of millions of people.

Me and my siblings are all allergic to petroleum-based colorants, particularly red 40. They caused bad behavioral issues for me when I was a kid, but for a long time several family members didn't believe I had the allergy because it sounded "silly" to them to be allergic to a color. There's a couple of pretty good stories about the events that had to occur to prove it to them. Nowadays, my family pretty much only eats foods dyed with vegetables, like algae, beet, and turmeric. Aldi's is our best friend.

Ann coming through AGAIN. I can picture my alarmist, self proclaimed "healthy" relatives that preach about 'unhealthy' things likes food coloring, biased by false reports and phantom Google searches (much like the so-called 'experts' featured throughout this video). Now I can simply direct them to this video. Thank you, Ann!

I'm surprised you didn't mention that people used to use Paris Green (arsenic) in food dye, which not so coincidentally killed a lot of people really fast.

Another very interesting video! As someone who's allergic to a few artificial and natural food dyes, the most frustrating thing is reading a label only to realize that the only thing listed on there is "color" without any specifications on which one... 🙄🙄

I work for a research project looking at gene expression in hybridisation and speciation, and each time I watch a HTCT video I'm amazed at Ann's skills in explaining difficult concepts to people with no background in the subject. I've had to work hard on finding an answer to the question "oh, what are you studying, then?" which a non-biologist can understand but without making them feel like I'm 'dumbing it down' for them. I'm still not sure I could answer follow up questions well, but Ann and HTCT serves as a constant inspiration to continually work on my skills in science communication.

Fantastic chemistry lesson Ann. I wasn't expecting William Perkins and the invention of mauve in a food channel! One of the early synthetic dyes that caused serious illness was Scheele's Green (copper arsenite). originally used as a colour for paper, but that ended up in food in late 19th Century Scotland. It latter went on to be used as an insecticide.

If Ann would have been my teacher in school, I would have understood soooo much more than I actually did in the end. You're amazing, Ann!

I absolutely love the way you cover these issues. You always seem to put effort into not only being factual but fair as well. Many people would attack people on the "other side" of the issue, but you always make sure to highlight where their concerns are valid. It shows that what you care about is the truth, and not winning some argument because often the truth is nuanced and murky.

I would really love to see a deeper dive into food additives that are banned in other countries but not the US. It made me curious about it with what you mentioned about the FDA banning food dyes that other countries didn't ban.

Sweetgod thank you so much for covering the whole idea that dies cause ADHD I have ADHD and honestly that believe has affected me a lot. A lot of people have said just stop eating dies or if tried to judge my parents for giving me dies and I tried to tell them it’s a biological thing and it’s just ridiculous of people ever think that guys could cause ADHD.

Thank you for what you said about ADHD, I have it diagnosed and it really makes a difference every time someone speaks against the stigma :)

I hope Anne would address the last debunking video mistake about surgerologie considering the topic of this one

Not only did I learn a lot about different food-dying agents; I also learned that "sap-sucking insect" doubles as a description of cochineals AND a great insult to have at the ready 😂

I think that if Ann Reardon have been my home economics teacher I would have learnt so much more

Two things I always find interesting: First the Idea that "natural" means "healthy"Whenever people say that i want to remind them that Uranium is technically natural. Sure, it's super rare, but it is able to form in nature and it sure as hell isn't healthy for you The other thing I love and loath at the same time is how scientific your videos are. The Question is "Are food colors safe?" and the scientific answer is "To the best of our knowledge, proabably yes, but ask us again in 30 years" I think this is why so many people turn to pseudoscience. Science nearly never has clear cut answers, because it operates under the header of "We test, we observe and we hypothesise and we can at a certain point say with a high degree of certainty that something is this way or that way, but we always keep the door open for possible knew developements" Science nearly never amswers staright and that is frustrating for people because it forces you to listen, to think about it and to come to your own conclusion. It is so much easier to say "Vaccines cause autism" because now you have a concrete thing that you can fight agaianst "Autism is caused by a number of different mutations and combinations in the cell stage of the embryo and there is no real way to tell what exactly that is and even if we could we can't really fix it right now" Is not the nswer you want to hear when you wish you could do something about it. But it is the correct answer, wheres "Vaccines cause autism" has been disproven again and again and again, meaning all the evidence points to it not being a factor. Sorry for the ramble but It has always saddened me that I know _why_ people don't listene to science but i wish they would

I found this to be highly informative. I'm allergic to artificial red food dyes, and it makes it very hard to enjoy lots of foods that you buy in the stores. A lot of products that you wouldn't expect to have red food dye do. Still, I've gotten good at avoiding those products even if it sucks sometimes when drinks come out or when a new candy or food comes out with those.

It's not just because you're making a decision based only on looks. Colors affect how people perceive taste. For example, if you put green food coloring in one scoop of vanilla ice cream and brown food coloring in another of the exact same ice cream, most people will say they taste different and have a preference. Some will even say they can taste chocolate or coffee in the brown and mint or pistachio in the green.

I've been allergic to Red Dye 40 my entire life, much worse as a child. Whenever I had even a tiny bit as a kid it would drastically change my behavior! I would become uncontrollable and wreak havoc😂 it's gotten a little better as an adult but I still can get hives all over my body from it. Thanks for the representation Ann!! ♡

As someone with autism, I hate how autism or ADHD is implied to be a "horrible disease" that can be caused by vaccines or food coloring. Thank you Anne for making these informative videos and shedding light on important topics❤

I'm reminded of the Sawbones episode on this exact topic, which goes into MUCH more detail about the medical studies about food dye on children's behavior. I'm sure they'd be glad to see a similarly nuanced and balanced take on the subject matter!

Thank you so much for doing this video!! Americans are so frustrating (I know, I am one!). My youngest has always been very sensitive to foods. It was so frustrating trying to figure out a whole new way to eat! But I am so grateful we did. Not only have her rectal prolapses and extreme constipation and bloating stopped, but she now sits through full story times at the library and even brings me books to read her!! Her whole life she would never sit still while I tried to read her a book like her older sibling would. But since Feb 2023 when we cut out processed foods, gluten and dairy, she's been such a happier and more present child. I will never doubt the connection between diet and mental health again. Added bonus? I never crash in the afternoons anymore, both me and my husband have lost weight and inches, and my older child has a lot less anxiety. I'm on the autism spectrum, and both me and my husband also have ADHD and suspect our children do, too. Eating for health instead of for cravings, and eschewing the "typical American diet" has truly changed our lives for the better!! And one more note: eating more whole foods was more expensive at first, especially as we tried to figure out new recipes. But now, 2 months later, we've figured out systems and things that we love. Like plain rice cakes spread with herbed goat cheese and veggies sliced on top like zucchini, carrots and celery is one of my 3 year olds favorite lunches! And I love a dip made with plain Greek yogurt with a dash of honey, lots of herbs like parsley, basil, and dill, with tofu and dip fresh veggies in it. I'm excited to learn more recipes that make me feel full and happy.

First off, super awesome that you obviously shot all the background video! So cool that you take the no doubt massive time to shoot your own b-roll and avoid stock bs! Second, thank you for promulgating data above all! Synthetic chemicals are not always dangerous, and natural chemicals are not always safe. Also, never heard of that gorgeous toxic yellow one, so thanks for a new biochem thing to look up 😄 Much love from an american geochem nerd ❤ you're the best Ann!

Im kinda sick and tired of people telling me my autism stems from literally anything when its just the way I was born. Also my autism isnt anything negative, I am still perfectly capable of loving myself. Thank you for the informative video Ann

Fun fact: The way the first round of food additive regulations were determined was by a relatively small number of volunteers (5 iirc?) eating common food additives at the time until it made them sick. They were called the poison squad.

I had a friend growing up who could not be in public school and was constantly getting himself and other kids injured with his reckless impulsivity. His mother wouldn't let him eat food dye because she believed that was the problem. He's fine now, ever since he moved in with his dad and his dad started having him treated for his severe ADHD. He could have had a normal life and gone to school if his mom hadn't been deluded into thinking food dye causes behavioral problems.

When it comes to natural ingredients, I think that Pratchett summarized it the best in "Making money": "It contained herbs and all natural ingredients. But belladonna was an herb, and arsenic was natural.” Thank you for another informative, fact-packed video! 😊

My grandmother had a huge obsession with stuff like this, or the idea that gluten somehow kills you. They were usually fads for her and came and went in a few months. As a kid though, I didn't really get half of it. I reasoned that if I'd been getting fed all the stuff before, it must not actually matter that much. It's kind of nice to see you going into stuff like this--I finally get to know the actual science and truth behind a bunch of the stuff my grandmother (and occasionally mother) would suddenly go ranting and raving about.

I absolutely love the way you present such touchy subjects. I wasn't even aware about how deep this conversation actually goes. Thank you Ann! Will be sharing this video with family and friends for sure

I love how Ann explains things. It's easy for me to understand.

Norwegian here, and I remember there being a lot of talk about certain food colourings being really dangerous when I was a kid around the time when the ban was apparently removed. It makes so much more sense with it being banned prior, I never knew that bit. My mom used to tell me so much about how certain shades of blue, like the blue Smarties (the chocolates), were really bad.

The fact that you go out of your way to find historic books and ingredients from rocks and bugs and so much more is incredible! Thank you so much for the education you provide and communicate in such a fun, clear, concise and yet factual way!

Man I really do love watching Ann's content, relaxing, educational, and comforting 🤓😊

Hi! I know this is meant in good faith but I feel the need to specify: Food coloring does not cause autism or ADHD. Those are determined by genetics according to current research and no food or chemical has been found to actually cause it. Especially AFTER birth, because by then it is already determined. Food coloring might increase hyperactivity by a tiny bit, but won't cause ADHD.

One of the problems with the red color from insects is it’s not kosher and a lot of products with artificial colors that are kosher would suddenly lose that

Ann is one of the only content creators and educators who responds to her people. Thanks for not just educating us, but for _engaging_ with us!

I mean this in a nice way: I like that sometimes these videos are kind of boring. It feels more trustworthy. You're not trying to spin it to be scary and attention-grabbing. And thank goodness it isn't! It's great that artificial colors aren't causing of all our social ills and diseases (although it'd be a lot easier to solve then, I guess)!

Well, this was NOT the Journey Into Colours that I was expecting! Highly informative and very useful as ever!

Don't forget that natural doesn't mean safe! For one thing, people often have allergic reactions to minerals, plant extracts and animal products.

I like how Ann Reardon is using her knowledge in food science to dispel the myth of "natural is always better than synthetic" when natural doesn't always mean good or better for you. And you pointed this out with a lot of natural dyes like cinnabar which is toxic. Hell, they could even try using something like cobalt for blues since that is natural, but it is toxic

RU-vid has a cruel sense of humour! I was eating Skittles when I saw the thumbnail for this video haha! Thank you Ann for such an informative video. You never fail to perfectly combine entertainment with education! Keep up the good work!

I absolutely love Ann's measured and relatively unbiased approaches to topics like these. A lot of people would just start with a stance, e.g. "artificial colors are always bad", and make their case from there, but Ann's videos are always full of information so people can make their own conclusions.

The brown food coloring reminded me of a family story. My great uncle Jerry opened a bakery in San Francisco. He used to make all sorts of sweets, including donuts. One morning, he realized he didn't have enough chocolate to melt down for glaze. So, he took some regular glaze and added brown food coloring. He wasn't sure if customers would notice. And to his surprise, a few even told him "These are the best chocolate donuts I've ever had!" 😂

I'm so happy you explain WHY something is/isn't a certain way, but that you explain it and educate your audience, it's amazing.

This ended up being like a lecture/presentation, but I have never been more attentive! This was VERY interesting, especially because you could see the amount of researching Ann has done! LOVE these academic type videos!

What a well spoken and well researched video. Much better than those by people out to prove that they are "right" at the top of their lungs about these sorts of things no matter what. Thank You.

As someone with ADHD, I've always been annoyed with the conspiracy heads that literally say these dyes **cause** ADHD. People with with ADHD are either born with it or have suffered significant head trauma. Because of these people, I'm very weary to believe that dyes rather than high and/or artificial sugar content are the culprits behind increased behavior issues. The difference between what's allowed and not in the States v. the rest of the world, it's no wonder I approach these kind of things with caution and scepticism. 😅 Thank you for always providing a scientific and evidence-based approach to your videos.

The days is good when there is a video from Ann!

Amazing work! I’d love a video of the making of one of your debunking videos or like this one where you absolutely do an amazing job at researching and writing up an easy to digest explanation. Great work!!

Thank you for being such a clear and concise youtuber. I appreciate all the work you put into the research and trying to see things from several angles. Your videos are always fun and informative.

I remember when they got rid of the blue smarties because people complained that it made kids hyperactive and it was like - you’re giving your kids chocolate then complaining they’re hyper, are you sure it’s because they are the blue ones or the whole tub?

The way you procure all these authentic vintage goods for us to see and observe , is just massively impressive to me, Ann, always thankful for your concise data collection and crisp delivery❤

I love how informational and scientifically based your videos are! Thank you for tackling food coloring!

Always appreciate your thoughtful commentary and information

Comparing EU and US ingredients in processed food was a revelation to me. I think the difference is the EU works on the basis that only ingredients proved to be safe can be used whereas in the US it seems to be unless proved to be dangerous or there's been a big class action lawsuit, it's OK.

Another great video by Anne the Food Scientist. :D Must not miss this.

You're an amazing science communicator. It's not easy to make videos with nuanced and careful arguments while being entertaining. Keep on doing what you're doing!

Ann, I just love how you share primary sources with us! What fascinating information.

I'm a pharmacy student and one of my first lab assignments was making Sudan I (also commonly known as CI Solvent Yellow 14 and Solvent Orange R). It's a natural orange-red dye that was used to dye spices like curry powder- until it got banned in multiple countries due to being a category 3 carcinogen. Artificial food dyes aren't the best, but boy, natural dyes aren't faultless either...

One of my strongest childhood memories is my year five teacher loudly saying in front of my entire class that I couldn’t eat my classmate’s birthday cake because it had red colour in it and I had adhd and wasn’t allowed it (my parents absolutely hadn’t banned any colours). The damage done to me by my teacher outing my diagnosis and the subsequent bullying was worse than any artificial colours ever would have been.

Thank you Ann! Please keep doing what you do. You've probably saved a LOT of lives. Bless you

I genuinely love these educational video essay style videos. Thanks for your hard work!

You are so good at this. I love that you address the fear but leave adult viewers comfortable enough whichever way they wish to proceed. I’ll likely be more conscious of the amount of neon food I eat, haha, but probably not afraid of it.