
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.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Vaccine sceptic RFK Jr disbands government advisory committee on immunisations
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US Health Secretary and a prominent vaccine sceptic, has dismissed all 17 members of a committee that issues official government recommendations on immunisations. In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Kennedy claimed that 'retiring' the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) was necessary to help rebuild trust in vaccines and ensure 'unbiased' health recommendations. 'The committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine,' he said, adding that he wanted to 'ensure the American people receive the safest vaccines possible'. The move – which some committee members found out about via the media – has been widely criticised by public health experts and scientists, who point to Mr Kennedy's long track record questioning the efficacy and safety of vaccines, sometimes based on dubious science. 'We have just watched politics bury science,' said Dr Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. 'If you look at [Kennedy's] accusation that he's doing this because of growing problems with vaccine trust – well, that's kind of like an arsonist complaining that so many houses are on fire,' Dr Osterholm said. 'He's the one that's been seeding these doubts for the last decade.' Since he became the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr Kennedy has taken a number of controversial decisions related to vaccines – including from bypassing ACIP to issue new Covid vaccine guidance, to stopping adverts for seasonal influenza shots and cancelling a $766 million contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu jab for humans. Now, Mr Kennedy has claimed the ACIP needs a complete overhaul because members have too many conflicts of interest, and are immersed 'in a system of industry-aligned incentives and paradigms that enforce a narrow pro-industry orthodoxy'. But his move appears to directly contradict promises given during his confirmation hearings. Bill Cassidy, a Republican Senator from Louisiana who is also a doctor, said he only voted for the appointment after Mr Kennedy committed to maintain ACIP 'without changes'. 'Of course, now the fear is that the Acip will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,' Mr Cassidy wrote on X on Monday. 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.' In a statement, Dr Bruce A Scott, executive director of the American Public Health Association, added that Mr Kennedy's move would help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases, at a time when vaccine coverage is declining across America. 'Today's action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives,' Dr Scott said. 'Rapid destruction' of critical oversight The committee is attached to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and included 17 experts – including epidemiologists, infectious disease doctors, vaccine experts and paediatricians – who typically serve overlapping four-year terms. Eight of the members were appointed in January 2025. But it has been in flux since Mr Kennedy assumed office, with its first meeting delayed by the department, before the Health Secretary announced new Covid-19 recommendations in a video posted on social media – unilaterally changing the guidance without an ACIP consultation. Still, retiring all panellists – and deleting a webpage listing the members – has come as a shock to some. Dr Noel Brewer, a professor in public health at the University of North Carolina who was a member of the ACIP, told the Telegraph his removal was 'very unexpected,' given he was meant to serve for three more years. He added that he heard about it only when 'received a copy of the Wall Street Journal article from a journalist', and later received an email confirming it at 5:48pm. 'The most immediate impact of this action is to destroy trust among healthcare providers in ACIP,' said Dr Brewer, a behavioural scientist who specialises in research about why people do or don't get vaccinated. 'The top priority right now is to restore trust in ACIP recommendations. If that is not possible, then it is time for medical organisations to create an alternative vaccine advisory committee for the nation.' On this, there has already been some progress. Earlier this year, CIDRAP launched the Vaccine Integrity Project, which aims to facilitate conversations and offer advice about US vaccine policy – almost like a version of ACIP that's not aligned to the government. 'When I started the vaccine integrity project, there were a lot of doubters that anything of major consequence would happen… [especially after] Kennedy promised in his Senate hearings that he would not take vaccines away from anyone,' said Dr Osterholm. 'Well, look at all this change. 'We are watching the very rapid destruction of critically important vaccine evaluation oversight efforts of the US government, both at the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and the CDC. These are committees that have performed marvellously well.' He added: 'It's terribly significant. The real victims are the public, specifically young children, who are going to face a very different world of vaccine preventable diseases than even a decade ago… I don't know what happens next, but it doesn't bode well.'


Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Warning over hair loss cream used by millions after doctors discover freaky side effect
Doctors have issued a warning about hair growth treatment minoxidil after a woman grew a beard. The 28-year-old reported using hair growth spray minoxidil to treat her hair loss caused by alopecia, suffered by 7million Americans that causes hair loss. Patients apply the medication, sold as a spray or foam, to the scalp and leave it in to absorb. However, the unnamed woman wore a wig during the day and cap at night, which causes the drug to be absorbed at much higher levels in her blood. It then traveled elsewhere in her body, causing uncontrollable hair growth in her face, arms and legs. Doctors say the 40million Americans who take the drug should be aware of the risks of wearing tight caps while taking it. Minoxidil, sold in the US under brand name Rogaine, is applied to the scalp to stimulate hair growth. It costs around $60 for a six-month supply. Doctors writing in as medical journal said: 'Exceeding this dose does not improve efficacy but significantly increases the risk of systemic absorption and adverse effects.' The FDA approved safe dose of the spray, which the woman used, is one milliter twice per day, or six sprays. While side effects are usually minor, such as scalp irritation or changes in hair texture or color, the drug has been linked to excess hair growth and loss. The woman in the case report was diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia, a form of hair loss caused by genetic predisposition or an imbalance of hormones like estrogen and androgens. Prior to treatment, the woman, from France, had a large bald spot on the top of her head. She had mild anemia and vitamin D, both of which can deprive hair follicles of oxygen and cause hair loss, but had no other health issues. Along with vitamin D and zinc supplements, she used five percent minoxidil spray twice a day for two months. She also had done three monthly sessions of LED therapy and plasma-rich plasma injections (PRP), which are meant to separate plasma from the blood and inject it back into the scalp. Plasma is rich in platelets, which have growth factors. After two months of minoxidil treatment, she returned to doctors with increased hair growth on her face, arms and legs. Doctors found wearing a wig during the day and a tight cap at night after applying minoxidil left the woman's scalp 'constantly occluded, day and night.' This means her scalp was constricted and hair follicles became blocked, leading the body to absorb higher amounts of minoxidil than if her hair follicles were still open. The doctors believe this lead to 'systemic absorption' of the drug and effectively a higher than safe dose. The experts wrote: 'Minoxidil is an effective treatment but can occasionally lead to hypertrichosis, especially when applied in high concentrations or over large areas of the body. 'This case illustrates the critical need for precise patient instruction on the correct application of topical therapies to prevent adverse systemic effects such as hypertrichosis.' The woman had laser hair removal on her face and stopped taking minoxidil. She continued with her other treatments.


NBC News
13 hours ago
- NBC News
Dog attacks on mail carriers reach 7-year high, Postal Service data shows
Dog attacks on postal workers reached a 7-year high last year, U.S. Postal Service data shows, with more than 6,000 dog attacks recorded. Attacks are up 5% from 2023 and 15% from 2022, with the highest rate of attacks in the Midwest, according to an NBC News analysis of Postal Service data. With more than 1 in 3 American households owning dogs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, danger abounds for mail carriers. '[It's] a real problem,' David Coleman, a spokesperson for the Postal Service, said in an email. 'Dogs are animals, they act instinctively and can bite for any number of reasons. All it takes is just one wrong interaction/movement for our carriers to be injured.' The Postal Services releases its dog attack figures every year as part of its Dog Bite Awareness campaign. The incidents, mostly self-reported by employees, include chases, bites, assaults and deaths, like that of a 61-year-old mail carrier in Florida who died in 2022 after she was mauled by five dogs. Midwest states have a higher rate of dog attacks when the data is adjusted for the number of households. The six states with the highest rates of dog attacks — Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio — are all Midwestern. In 2024, there were an average of 5.24 dog attacks per 100,000 households in the Midwest, a rate 75% higher than in the South. For the 300,000-plus mail carriers in the United States, many of whom deliver to hundreds of addresses every day, the risk adds up. If a dog attack does occur, the financial and emotional impacts can be significant: In 2024, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite was nearly $70,000, according to the Insurance Information Institute. To help minimize the risk of attacks, the Postal Service has instituted guidelines for interacting with dogs on routes and ways to protect against harm, including carrying dog repellant and using mail satchels to create distance from dogs. Coleman had advice for dog owners: 'The best way to keep safe from dog bites and attacks is to recognize and promote responsible pet ownership,' he said. 'Teach your dog appropriate behavior and commands and don't allow a dog to roam freely.'