Blue 1

Definition

FD&C Blue 1 also known as Brilliant Blue FCF is an artificial blue dye derived from petroleum or crude oil and widely used in foods such as candies, confections, beverages, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. Color additives are classified as straight colors, lakes or mixtures. Lakes are formed by combining dyes with salts to make them insoluble compounds ideal for coloring products with insufficient moisture to dissolve dyes, fats or oils. Lakes for food use must be made from certified batches of straight colors. (One exception is carmine, which made from cochineal extract.) Lakes for food use are made with aluminum cation as the precipitant and aluminum hydroxide as the substratum. Used in foods, chewing gum, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics soaps and shampoo.

Also Known As

Blue #1, Brilliant Blue FCF, Blue 1 Lake, Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake, Blue #1 Lake, BLUE NO. 1

Health Impact

Some people, especially children, may be sensitive to food dyes, and have experienced allergic reactions when consuming them. Artificial food dyes have also been linked to increased behavioral problems in children, especially those with ADHD, because they may cause chemical changes in the brain, inflammation, and depletion of minerals that are important to growth and development.

Sources

• Potential impacts of synthetic food dyes on activity and attention in children: a review of the human and animal evidence

  BioMed Central (BMC)

• Artificial Food Colors and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Symptoms: Conclusions to Dye for

  US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

• Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers

  Food and Drug Administration

• Color Additives History

  FDA

• Mechanisms of behavioral, atopic, and other reactions to artificial food colors in children

  Pub Med

• Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risk

  Center for Science in the Public Interest

Products containing Blue 1

Better Options Available

Mission Foods Inc

Garden Spinach Herb Wraps

Better Options Available

Ole Mexican Foods, Inc.

Spinach & Herbs Tortilla Wraps

Better Options Available

Doritos

Doritos Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips