
Mmm, that looks yummy! The colors we see make a difference in the food we eat
You know you've said it. We all have. 'Mmm, that looks so delicious — I want to try some!' That's because when it comes to what we eat, it's not just a matter of taste.
What foods and drinks look like — the colors we see before the first morsels or sips hit our tastebuds — have mattered to people for millennia. And nowhere has that been more blatant than the American food palate, where the visual spectrum we choose from includes not only the primary colors but artificial ones that nature couldn't even dream up.
For well over a century, food manufacturers in the United States have used synthetic dyes in their products as part of their production and marketing efforts. Often, it's been in hopes of making a mass-produced food look as fresh and natural as possible, reminiscent of the raw ingredients used in its production. In other cases, it's been about making an item look interesting or distinctive from competitors, like candies or desserts in an electric blue or neon pink. Think 'blue raspberry Slurpee" or 'Flamin' Hot Cheetos.'
It hasn't been without controversy. Over the decades, there have been pushback and government regulation over just HOW food and drink have been colored, most recently with the decision last month from the federal Food and Drug Administration to ban red dye No. 3 from foods and oral-ingested drugs because of concerns over a possible cancer risk. But no one's calling for food NOT to be colorful.
That's because there's no escaping the importance of what we see when it comes to what we eat, says Devina Wadhera, faculty associate at the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts of Arizona State University.
'Your first sensory contact, if your eyes are open, is going to be sight,' she says. 'That's going to be the first judgment we're going to make.'
Visual appeal is pivotal
The food manufacturers of the late 19th century knew they had to get the visual appeal right. It was part of their marketing, as a shorthand to encourage brand recognition, to make consumers feel comfortable about quality and overcome worries (or realities) about spoilage as food production became industrialized, says Ai Hisano, author of 'Visualizing Taste: How Business Changed the Look of What You Eat.'
Synthetic dyes helped overcome problems like foods losing color in the production process and helped make foods look more 'natural,' she says. Then, over time, dyes were deployed to make foods look 'fun' and appealing to audiences like young children. (That doesn't mean manufacturers didn't sometimes use colorants that could even be deadly — hence the reason there's regulation.)
She pointed to the mid-20th century example of cake mixes, which reduced the amount of effort required to bake a cake at home because most of the ingredients were already included. Food companies began promoting colorful icing for the cakes as a way women baking at home 'could kind of present their personality even though they are making a pre-mixed cake,' Hisano says.
We become conditioned to coloring
The connections we make between colors and foods are learned, Wadhera says. 'Throughout our lives, we make associations which mean things. Cake is associated with birthdays. Ice cream is associated with parties and good times, so everything is associative learning. Color is one of those things that we have this tendency to learn about different flavor pairings.'
She gave the example of the spate of products like chips and other snacks that are marketed as having an extra kick. Often, 'they're super red because (companies are) trying to say, 'Hey, this is going to be spicy' because they're trying to get to this sensation or perception that this is going to be really spicy — buy it.'
The connections that we make between color and taste can also change according to the context, says Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford. A blue liquid in a plastic cup in a bathroom? Could be minty mouthwash. The exact same color liquid, in a bar, held in a rocks glass? Could be bitter gin. Different cultures around the world also have different color associations, he says, although it's fairly constant across geographies that the more vivid a color is, the more intense people assume the flavor will be.
It can even extend past the food itself to the colors involved in its presentation, Wadhera says, pointing to research showing people eating different amounts or preferring certain foods linked to the colors of the dishes used to serve them. And much of the time, she says, people aren't necessarily aware they're doing it.
'There's a lot of things with color that you can manipulate and affect judgments,' she says. 'You don't think of it, though. ... We make automatic judgments on the food and we don't even realize it.'
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Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
New coronavirus only ‘one small step from spilling over into humans' and sparking widespread outbreak, say scientists
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A NEW coronavirus may only be "a small step away from spilling over into humans", scientists have warned - sparking fears of another pandemic. Scientists believe the variant, called HKU5-CoV-2, may infect a broader range of animals than Covid-19 and may have more potential for jumping between species. 1 Dr Michael Letko, a molecular virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, lead the research into the concerning variant Credit: Ted S. Warren/College of Veterinary Medicine/WSU American scientists fear the virus - found in China - may be one small mutation away from also being able to infect humans, which could lead to a widespread outbreak. The new study, published in Nature Communications, looked at a lesser-known group of coronaviruses called merbecoviruses. It includes HKU5 and MERS-CoV, which is responsible for the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. First noted in 2012, the virus typically spreads from infected camels to humans causes severe respiratory disease, which can be fatal to 34 per cent of its victims. The research team, which included scientists at Washington State University (WSU), the California Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina, sought to understand how merbecoviruses infiltrate the cells of their hosts. While most bugs in the group seemed to pose little threat to people, scientists said one subgroup, HKU5, has concerning traits. Michael Letko, a virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, said: "Merbecoviruses – and HKU5 viruses in particular – really hadn't been looked at much, but our study shows how these viruses infect cells. "What we also found is HKU5 viruses may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans." Like other coronaviruses, merbecoviruses rely on a spike protein to bind to receptors and invade host cells. Dr Letko's team used virus-like particles containing the part of the spike protein responsible for binding to receptors and tested their ability to infect cells in their lab. World is not prepared for looming Disease X pandemic says Doctor Tedros Ghebreyesus While most merbecoviruses appeared unlikely to be able to infect humans, HKU5 viruses — which have been found across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East — were shown to use a host receptor known as ACE2, the same used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. But for now HKU5 viruses can only use the ACE2 gene in bats and can't deploy it on humans nearly as well. Examining HKU5 viruses found in Asia - where their host is the Japanese house bat - the researchers demonstrated some mutations in the spike protein that may allow the viruses to bind to ACE2 receptors in other species, including humans. 'These viruses are so closely related to MERS, so we have to be concerned if they ever infect humans,' Dr Letko said. 'While there's no evidence they've crossed into people yet, the potential is there — and that makes them worth watching.' Dr Letko said the study and its methods could be used for future research projects and to help the development of new vaccines and treatments. What is the new Covid variant confirmed in the UK? The new strain - called NB.1.8.1 - has been spotted in the parts of the UK, such as Ireland and Wales. It's also cropped up in Europe, the US and Australia, as well as Egypt, the Maldives, Thailand, China and Hong Kong. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently issued a warning over NB.1.8.1, designating it as a "variant under monitoring" due to its global spread and key mutations. 'Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation,' the WHO said. But while it may not be particularly severe, it may infect people more easily than previous variants, with some evidence suggesting that the variant binds more tightly to human cells. A recent study that has not yet been peer reviewed suggests that a person infected with NB.1.8.1 may be more likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to earlier variants. The WHO stressed that, based on available evidence, the variant's risk to public health was "low at the global level". "Currently approved Covid-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease," it added. Symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and a blocked nose. Some people may also get gastrointestinal symptoms. It's not the first time concerns have been raised over HKU5. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists warned that HKU5-CoV-2 may be able to jump straight from bats to humans without another animal in between. This suggests a higher potential for zoonotic spillover - when a disease spreads from animal to human. If there is no 'intermediate 'middle animal', it becomes harder to predict and prevent spillover events through interactions such as wildlife trading or hunting. "There is the potential for this new virus to spillover to human, like previous coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2," said Dr Gary R McLean, a research fellow at the Imperial College London, who was not involved in the study. But he noted that, so far, there is no "evidence" that HKU5-CoV-2 can infect people – the paper is based on tests in a laboratory, showing the bug's "potential". "Hopefully the Chinese authorities now have good surveillance systems in place and the laboratories work to rigid safety standards that minimise the risk of spillover occurring," he said. The WHO has previously listed MERS and Covid as two of several diseases - alongside the mysterious disease X - that could spark a pandemic, but for which there is no specific treatment or vaccine.


NBC News
12 hours ago
- NBC News
As ivermectin goes over the counter, some pharmacists worry about a lack of guidance
Boise, Idaho, pharmacist Matt Murray has no choice but to disappoint the handful of people who call him every day asking for a drug used to treat parasitic worms. He could give them the medication, called ivermectin, but only with a doctor's note. The callers aren't in the throes of an active intestinal worm infestation, Murray said. They simply want access to the pills without having to see a doctor first. 'A lot of people are calling, asking, 'Do you guys have it for sale? Can I buy it? How do I get it?'' said Murray, the director of operations for the independent Customedica Pharmacy. 'Not so much, 'How does it work? What is it for?'' The volume of such calls has increased sharply since mid-April, when Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed a bill into law mandating that ivermectin be available to anyone who wants it over the counter. While the law technically says that pharmacists like Murray can sell the drug over the counter, the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved it to be used this way. 'I don't feel that we could just sell prescription ivermectin,' Murray said. 'It's not designed or packaged for retail sale.' That hasn't stopped frenzied social media claims about ivermectin's supposed 'miraculous' abilities to cure everything from Covid to cancer. 'Ivermectin eliminated the cancer on the skin of my shoulder and it only took 3 weeks,' one person wrote on X. 'It's also working wonders on my eczema,' another wrote on the platform. Ivermectin has never been formulated or labeled specifically for over-the-counter use, like aspirin or an antacid. Without proper guidance, there is concern that people could overdose on the medication. Interest in using drugs or experimental treatments in unapproved ways has gained steam with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy recently said on a podcast that people should have access to controversial alternative therapies like stem cells and chelation therapy to remove heavy metals from the body. The FDA has warned that neither should be used without oversight from a doctor. The hype has prompted lawmakers in 16 states, including Idaho, to propose and in some cases pass legislation to make the pills readily available for anyone without a prescription. While health insurance covers many prescription drugs, including ivermectin, it doesn't cover over-the-counter medicines. This year, two other GOP-led states — Arkansas and Tennessee — passed over-the-counter ivermectin laws. NBC News called 15 independent pharmacies in those states, plus Idaho, to ask whether pharmacists could provide ivermectin without a prescription. Not a single one said they'd sell the drug over the counter, despite the new laws. All, however, appeared to be sympathetic to the request. One pharmacist in Arkansas took the time to explain that he needed to wait until the FDA provided guidance on over-the-counter ivermectin. Until then, he and all the others said, over-the-counter access to ivermectin would have to wait. Pharmacists say that just because over-the-counter ivermectin is written into law doesn't mean it should be made available to anyone who asks for it. They still rely on federal health guidance. 'Most over-the-counter drugs, especially ones that were prescriptions at one point, go through some FDA approval process,' Murray said. 'In that process, it gets decided what the labeling is going to say,' including warnings and directions. Republican lawmakers in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia have also proposed bills to make ivermectin available over the counter. Nearly all would simply permit health care providers and pharmacists to distribute ivermectin without a prescription. Most, like the one proposed in Alabama, would also protect pharmacists from any possible disciplinary action such as fines or license suspension from pharmacy licensing boards for dispensing it. Maine's proposed legislation specifically permits ivermectin to be sold to people who want to try it for Covid, cancer or the flu. Mississippi's bill would limit over-the-counter ivermectin to anyone 18 and older. The drug likely wouldn't be placed on store shelves, but be kept behind pharmacy counters, much like some cold medicines. Even if states do pass laws protecting pharmacists from disciplinary action, like the proposed legislation in Alabama, Murray said that he and his colleagues remain concerned. 'If you dispense something that doesn't have directions or safety precautions on it, who's ultimately liable if that causes harm?' Murray said. 'I don't know that I would want to assume that risk.' The Food and Drug Administration warns that taking large doses of ivermectin 'can be dangerous' and cause vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, seizures, coma and even death. The drug could also interact with other medications like blood thinners, the FDA says. A spokeswoman for CVS Health said that while its pharmacies are able to dispense ivermectin with a prescription, they are 'not currently selling ivermectin over the counter' in any state. Walgreens declined to comment. What ivermectin is — and isn't Ivermectin was discovered by Japanese biochemist Satoshi Ōmura in the 1970s, first as a veterinary drug and then as a groundbreaking treatment for dangerous and disfiguring tropical diseases such as river blindness, as well as tapeworms, scabies and other worm-related infections. Hundreds of millions of people in mostly underdeveloped countries have used it safely with minimal side effects, such as fatigue or diarrhea, for decades. During the pandemic, the true benefit of the drug got twisted and distorted amid a social media frenzy. When mainstream doctors and scientists insisted that ivermectin didn't treat Covid, mostly conservative groups embraced it in direct opposition to public health officials. Podcaster Joe Rogan told his tens of millions of followers that ivermectin worked to cure him of Covid in 2021, prompting many people to seek out the drug as a way to treat mild or moderate cases of the virus. While there was early hope that ivermectin could ease Covid symptoms, it didn't treat respiratory viruses. It still doesn't. Ivermectin has also been touted as a cancer cure. On the same podcast, actor Mel Gibson claimed ivermectin had wiped out Stage 4 cancer in three of his friends. Gibson offered no proof. Some cancer patients believed the promises, with potentially devastating results. 'I tried that last year,' Scott Adams, the creator of the 'Dilbert' comic strip, wrote on X, 'to no effect.' Adams, a vocal Donald Trump supporter, revealed in May that he'd been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. 'There are claims of it working, but I am aware of no patient who benefitted from it.' Adams asked his social media followers to stop inundating him with advice to take ivermectin. Adams wrote that his 'odds of survival have probably jumped from zero to 30%' because he decided on a different treatment and will be 'working with top doctors in the field.' When one person pleaded with him in the comments not to discourage people from trying ivermectin, the cartoonist didn't play around: 'Your advice could kill people if they delay other treatments.' There's simply no evidence that ivermectin treats cancer, said Dr. Harold Burstein, a breast oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He knows because he's looked for it, without success. Since the Rogan podcast featuring Gibson aired, Burstein has had an uptick in patients asking him about ivermectin. He scoured the medical literature looking for any shred of indication that the drug could be useful to his patients. 'There are exactly zero published clinical trials in a human being on whether ivermectin does or doesn't treat cancer,' Burstein said. 'I can assure you that if any oncologist in America had seen' a benefit to ivermectin, he said, 'they would have been eager to write it up.' Some scientists are indeed trying to figure out whether ivermectin has any impact on cancer outcomes. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have begun a preliminary study combining ivermectin with an immunotherapy drug for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Final results aren't expected anytime soon. Doctors tried to make ivermectin 'work' Ivermectin is manufactured in the U.S. by Merck. The company said in a statement that ivermectin should only be used within the approved FDA framework. 'The use of ivermectin is not supported beyond the doses and populations indicated in the regulatory agency-approved prescribing information,' a Merck spokesperson wrote in an email. Despite the growing push for over-the-counter ivermectin, there's no sales data available for how many people are buying the pills. Focusing on making ivermectin available without a doctor's prescription is the latest in a trend of mostly conservative politicians sidestepping expert medical advice. Utah and Florida, for example, recently banned community water fluoridation, despite decades of widespread evidence that it drastically reduces tooth decay. Dr. Hugh Cassiere, director of critical care services for South Shore University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, said, 'This is about constituents who either heard, read or saw something on social media and now have an idea that this is something good. They're going right to their congressman or senator to demand access.' 'That's not how medicine should work,' he said. Scientists did, in fact, study whether ivermectin helped people with Covid. Dr. Adrian Hernandez, a cardiologist with the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina, led a large research project that ultimately showed ivermectin had no benefit in treating acute Covid. 'It's always great that legislators care about the health of the state,' Hernandez said. 'But ivermectin didn't help patients get better any faster.' Hernandez's study was posted on a preprint server called medRxiv in 2022. Studies posted on the site are considered preliminary because they haven't been peer-reviewed. A second 2022 paper published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that Covid patients treated with ivermectin weren't any less likely to be hospitalized than people who didn't get the drug. A third study that did suggest a benefit was later retracted because it contained fraudulent data, according to the publisher. None of this stopped many from demanding access to the drug. During the pandemic, hospitals reported a spike in patients who had been poisoned after taking veterinary-grade ivermectin intended for livestock. Two deaths in New Mexico were linked to the drug. Even the FDA warned that high doses of ivermectin can cause seizures, coma and death. 'You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it,' the FDA tweeted on Aug. 21, 2021. The controversial post was later deleted but can still be accessed through web archives. A Merck spokesperson said the drug shouldn't be used for anything other than clearing parasitic infestations. Northwell Health's Cassiere said medications, especially ivermectin, should only be used after talking with a qualified health care provider, no matter how politicians vote. 'If you're not an expert, if you did not go to medical school, nurse practitioner school, physician assistant school, and don't have the proper training, then you should not be recommending therapies outside of that expertise,' he said. 'Are you going to get a bank loan at the deli on the corner? I don't think so.'


ITV News
a day ago
- ITV News
Palestinians say Israeli fire kills 12 near aid sites in latest shooting
Palestinian health officials say Israeli fire has killed a further 12 people and wounded others as they headed to two aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces Sunday. The shootings follow a familiar pattern seen over the last two weeks after multiple reports from witnesses, officials and aid workers of shootings by the Israeli military. More than 80 people have now been reported killed in similar circumstances as they made their way to aid distribution centres. Gaza's Health Ministry says in all, at least 108 bodies were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours. 11 of the latest bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired on some at a roundabout around a kilometre from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, in nearby Rafah. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at approaching 'suspects' who ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting happened in an area that is considered an active combat zone at night. Al-Awda Hospital said it received the body of a man and 29 people who were wounded near another GHF aid distribution point in central Gaza. The military said it fired warning shots in the area at around 6:40AM, but didn't see any casualties. A GHF official said there was no violence in or around its distribution sites, all three of which delivered aid on Sunday. The group closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with Israel's military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Witnesses said the first shootings in southern Gaza took place at around 6AM, when they were told the site would open. Many headed toward it early, seeking desperately needed food before crowds arrived. Gaza's roughly two million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed. Adham Dahman, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank fired toward them. 'We didn't know how to escape," he said. "This is trap for us, not aid.' Zahed Ben Hassan said someone next to him was shot in the head. 'They said it was a safe area from 6AM until 6PM. So why did they start shooting at us," he said. 'There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us.' The military announced on Friday that the sites would be open during those hours, and the areas would be a closed military zone the rest of the time. The new aid hubs are run by GHF, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups. Israel and the United States accuse the Hamas militant group of stealing aid. The UN denies there is systematic diversion. They say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by determining who can receive it, and forces people to relocate to where aid sites are positioned. The UN system has struggled to deliver aid, even after Israel eased its blockade of Gaza last month. UN officials say their efforts are hindered by Israeli military restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting. Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza was at critical risk of famine, if Israel didn't lift its blockade and halt its military campaign. Both were renewed in March.