Latest news with #ButBetter:MediterraneanStyle
CNN
29-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Kids' breakfast cereal has gotten unhealthier, a new study finds
Sign up for CNN's Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. We all know that breakfast is an important meal, and even more so for children. Abundant research has demonstrated the benefit of nutritious breakfasts on children's health, well-being and academic performance. Ready-to-eat cereals are the predominant breakfast choice among American children, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that may not be the best option for growing children and adolescents. In newly launched cereals between 2010 and 2023, there were significant increases in fat, sodium and sugar and decreases in protein and fiber content, according to a new research study in JAMA Network Open. I wanted to better understand the implications for parents who want to learn about healthier options for their children. To help guide us, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously served as Baltimore's health commissioner and is the mother of two school-aged kids. CNN: How did these researchers study ready-to-eat cereals? Dr. Leana Wen: This study utilized a comprehensive database that tracks new product launches for food and beverages. Researchers examined cereal products that launched in the US market between 2010 and 2023 that were explicitly marketed to children ages 5 to 12 years old. During this period, about 1,200 children's ready-to-eat cereals were launched. Compared to 2010, total fat per serving increased 33.6%; sodium content increased by 32.1%; and sugar by 10.9%. On the other hand, both protein content and dietary fiber content decreased when comparing 2010 to 2023. Notably, the average amount of added sugar is so high that a single serving of children's cereal is more than 45% of the American Heart Association's total daily recommended limit for children, according to the authors. CNN: Were you surprised by these findings? Wen: Frankly, yes. In recent years, many studies have shown the importance of a healthy breakfast to children's well-being. Moreover, studies have demonstrated the problems associated with high levels of added sugar, sodium and fat content in food. Ultraprocessed foods laden with these additives have been associated with a myriad of negative health consequences, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and premature death. What's upsetting to me is that many products that are ultraprocessed and contain high levels of unhealthy ingredients are being marketed as being 'healthy.' A 2024 study published in the journal Nutrients found that 60% of foods marketed to children ages 6 months to 36 months on 10 supermarkets' shelves failed to meet recommended nutritional guidelines from the World Health Organization for infant and toddler foods. Virtually none of these meet WHO's standards for advertising— instead they contained inaccurate health claims or failed to have clear labeling. All of this makes it hard for parents and families who want to choose healthier options for their children. CNN: What advice do you have for parents who want to feed their children healthier breakfasts? Wen: Parents should consider options outside of ready-made cereal. Some options for healthy breakfasts include steel-cut oats with honey and fresh fruit and whole-grain bread with peanut butter. Kids may also like eggs; no-sugar-added yogurt, which still has sugar in it; smoothies made with milk and fresh fruit; and homemade muffins. For parents looking for grab-and-go breakfasts, consider fresh fruit, nuts, hard-boiled eggs, muffins, smoothies and whole-grain bagels with low-fat cream cheese. CNN: What if parents want to serve cereal? What should they look for on the label? Wen: As a parent who has tried to find healthy cereals for my kids, I know myself that it is very hard to go through the cereal aisle and make sense of the packaging that claim the cereal is healthy. The best thing to do is to look at the label for each cereal you are considering. First, look for whole grains. Ideally, the label says that the cereal has 100% whole grain. Then, look at the sugar content. It's best to have added sugar of less than 9 grams per serving . According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 10 grams per serving would already be 20% of the entire amount of added sugar someone is recommended to consume a day, if they have a 2,000 calorie diet. Try to find cereals with no food dyes or low-calorie sweeteners. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a list of relatively healthier cereals. From a policy perspective, last year, the US Food and Drug Administration proposed a front-of-package label that would make it easier for consumers to know how products compare with regard to their added sugar, salt and saturated fat content. I think these improved labels can help if they are implemented. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made reducing ultraprocessed food a centerpiece of his 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda. Perhaps there will be policy solutions Kennedy will announce that can make it easier for families to opt for healthier choices. CNN: In the meantime, should parents avoid cereals and switch to other breakfast products? What do you do with your kids? Wen: I think the takeaway should be simply knowing that many cereals marketed to children are not the most nutritious choices. This doesn't mean children should never be served these cereals but try to serve them in moderation or as a treat. Since I became aware of just how laden with additives our favorite cereals were, I began to serve my kids these cereals only as a treat, opting usually for milk served with steel-cut oats or whole-grain toast and peanut butter. On days when they have cereal, I make sure to tell them it's a treat — just as I tell them it's a treat when they have cookies and cupcakes. And then I try to make sure that their other meals are healthy. CNN: Do you have other advice for families trying to make more nutritional choices? Wen: It's best to aim for meals with whole foods that are minimally processed, such as whole grains, fresh fruits, leafy green vegetables, legumes, fish and lean meat. Also keep in mind that what kids drink is just as important as what they eat. Stay away from sodas, juice drinks, energy drinks and other drinks with caffeine and high amounts of added sugar.
CNN
14-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- CNN
Why a sheet pan is the secret to make every meal of the day easier than ever
Sign up for CNN's Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. Throughout more than two decades of developing new recipes as 'Hungry Girl,' Lisa Lillien has amassed quite the collection of appliances. Her kitchen counter is lined with an air fryer, slow cooker, Instant pot, blender, toaster and more. But if you ask Lillien, who says, 'I'm not a dietitian, I'm not a nutritionist, I'm just hungry,' there's one tool she comes back to again and again: the sheet pan. 'Why sheet pans right now? I hear from my email subscribers often, and nearly everybody wants easier and faster options,' Lillien said. 'Sheet pans really are an MVP of the kitchen because you can place something on the pan, pop it in the oven and you can go about your day.' Unlike some of those other tools, it won't take up precious counter space and often is available for less than $20. 'I'm not a cooking snob. I don't think you need a certain pan, and it certainly doesn't have to be expensive,' Lillien said, noting that the sheet pan she swears by has been in her arsenal since 1999. The ingredients you cook on it need not be exclusive, either. 'We're not promoting that you go buy every grocery from a boutique grocery store,' she noted. 'Hungry Girl is more Walmart than Vanity Fair. I mean that in the best way possible; it's just for everybody. As am I. I want to make smarter, better food choices, but I also love food.' That's the philosophy behind her entire Hungry Girl empire, which includes free daily emails with recipes and healthy cooking tips, a magazine, a podcast (that often reviews products available at major online and in-person retailers), and 16 cookbooks. In the latest, 'Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories,' Lillien shares under-400-calorie recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides and desserts — all made on a sheet pan. 'Sheet pans can do it all: baking, roasting, broiling and even serving,' Lillien wrote in her book. They're 'a breeze to clean. Plus, the raised edges help contain oven spills and drips.' Taking a cue from popular fast food restaurant menu items, viral food trends and beloved comfort foods, the cookbook includes one-pan tricks to make every meal easier. We asked Lillien to coach us through an entire day of sheet pan eats. When flapjacks are doctored up with a big pat of butter and generous shower of maple syrup, 'pancakes are not always the healthiest. They're not always easy to cook evenly, either,' Lillien said. 'When I make pancakes with a skillet or griddle, I often end up burning the later batches because the heat of the pan can be challenging to control.' Lillien sought a solution, which she found and integrated into her recipes for brownie, strawberry and blueberry pancake bars. A sheet pan cooks the batter evenly and allows you to make a week's worth of pancake squares that you can enjoy now, refrigerate for tomorrow or freeze for later. To try this at home: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spritz it with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Mix up your favorite pancake batter. (Lillien digs a whole wheat flour-based blend for a fiber boost.) Pour it into the prepared sheet pan, sprinkle on any desired toppings, like berries or chocolate chips. and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center springs back when you touch it. Typically, if you attempted to recreate a fast food value meal at home, you'd need a deep fryer, grill or griddle, and perhaps a skillet to cook some of the toppings, such as onions or bacon. But Lillien's 'ultimate lunch' — In-N-Out Burger copycat Animal-Style Burger Patties — shows how to DIY on sheet pans. You could try this same concept with any burger and fries you like. For her fast food-inspired midday meal, it all starts with the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together ⅓ cup Thousand Island dressing (light, if you like), 2 tablespoons finely minced onion, ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar. If you have another favorite burger sauce, feel free to swap that in. Then prepare ¼-pound burger patties with whatever meat and seasonings you desire. (Lillien likes 95% lean ground beef jazzed up with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper — the same spice blend she uses to season the fries.) Place the burgers and 2 cups of chopped onion on one sheet pan, and fry-shaped spears of turnips or any root vegetable or sturdy squash on another. Bake at 425 F until the fries are crispy, the onions are tender and the burgers are cooked to your preferred doneness level. Top a serving of fries with a patty, a spoonful of sauce, a scoop of cooked onions and a slice of cheddar cheese. Bake until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melty. An often-overlooked benefit of sheet pan cooking, according to Lillien, is the ability to multitask. The large cooking surface makes it possible to cook multiple items on the same sheet without overcrowding. One of Lillien's favorite recipes in the book, Honey Mustard Pretzel Salmon with Roasted Carrots, asks for just 35 minutes and six ingredients, and leaves you with a well-balanced main dish and a side. 'Honey mustard is such a good flavor-booster. It's very versatile and so low in calories,' Lillien said, and it works like the 'glue' to adhere the crushed pretzels. 'The richness of the salmon works so nicely with the tang and the sweetness of the honey mustard and the salty pretzels.' Serves 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Total cooking time: 45 minutes 2 cups (about 8 ounces) baby carrots, halved lengthwise 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon salt, divided ¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided Two 4-ounce raw skinless salmon fillets ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder ⅛ teaspoon onion powder 1 ½ tablespoons honey mustard, or more for dipping 2 tablespoons lightly crushed pretzels Preheat oven to 400 F . Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place carrots on the baking sheet. Top with oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F . Flip carrots. Add salmon to the baking sheet. Season salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Top salmon with mustard and crushed pretzels. Bake until salmon is cooked through and carrots are tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Set oven to broil. Broil until pretzels are slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Recipe adapted from 'Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories' by Lisa Lillien. Copyright © 2025 by Lisa Lillien. Published by St. Martin's Griffin. Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance lifestyle writer with more than 16 years of editorial experience.
CNN
14-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- CNN
Why a sheet pan is the secret to make every meal of the day easier than ever
Food & drinkFacebookTweetLink Follow Sign up for CNN's Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. Throughout more than two decades of developing new recipes as 'Hungry Girl,' Lisa Lillien has amassed quite the collection of appliances. Her kitchen counter is lined with an air fryer, slow cooker, Instant pot, blender, toaster and more. But if you ask Lillien, who says, 'I'm not a dietitian, I'm not a nutritionist, I'm just hungry,' there's one tool she comes back to again and again: the sheet pan. 'Why sheet pans right now? I hear from my email subscribers often, and nearly everybody wants easier and faster options,' Lillien said. 'Sheet pans really are an MVP of the kitchen because you can place something on the pan, pop it in the oven and you can go about your day.' Unlike some of those other tools, it won't take up precious counter space and often is available for less than $20. 'I'm not a cooking snob. I don't think you need a certain pan, and it certainly doesn't have to be expensive,' Lillien said, noting that the sheet pan she swears by has been in her arsenal since 1999. The ingredients you cook on it need not be exclusive, either. 'We're not promoting that you go buy every grocery from a boutique grocery store,' she noted. 'Hungry Girl is more Walmart than Vanity Fair. I mean that in the best way possible; it's just for everybody. As am I. I want to make smarter, better food choices, but I also love food.' That's the philosophy behind her entire Hungry Girl empire, which includes free daily emails with recipes and healthy cooking tips, a magazine, a podcast (that often reviews products available at major online and in-person retailers), and 16 cookbooks. In the latest, 'Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories,' Lillien shares under-400-calorie recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides and desserts — all made on a sheet pan. 'Sheet pans can do it all: baking, roasting, broiling and even serving,' Lillien wrote in her book. They're 'a breeze to clean. Plus, the raised edges help contain oven spills and drips.' Taking a cue from popular fast food restaurant menu items, viral food trends and beloved comfort foods, the cookbook includes one-pan tricks to make every meal easier. We asked Lillien to coach us through an entire day of sheet pan eats. When flapjacks are doctored up with a big pat of butter and generous shower of maple syrup, 'pancakes are not always the healthiest. They're not always easy to cook evenly, either,' Lillien said. 'When I make pancakes with a skillet or griddle, I often end up burning the later batches because the heat of the pan can be challenging to control.' Lillien sought a solution, which she found and integrated into her recipes for brownie, strawberry and blueberry pancake bars. A sheet pan cooks the batter evenly and allows you to make a week's worth of pancake squares that you can enjoy now, refrigerate for tomorrow or freeze for later. To try this at home: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spritz it with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Mix up your favorite pancake batter. (Lillien digs a whole wheat flour-based blend for a fiber boost.) Pour it into the prepared sheet pan, sprinkle on any desired toppings, like berries or chocolate chips. and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center springs back when you touch it. Typically, if you attempted to recreate a fast food value meal at home, you'd need a deep fryer, grill or griddle, and perhaps a skillet to cook some of the toppings, such as onions or bacon. But Lillien's 'ultimate lunch' — In-N-Out Burger copycat Animal-Style Burger Patties — shows how to DIY on sheet pans. You could try this same concept with any burger and fries you like. For her fast food-inspired midday meal, it all starts with the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together ⅓ cup Thousand Island dressing (light, if you like), 2 tablespoons finely minced onion, ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar. If you have another favorite burger sauce, feel free to swap that in. Then prepare ¼-pound burger patties with whatever meat and seasonings you desire. (Lillien likes 95% lean ground beef jazzed up with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper — the same spice blend she uses to season the fries.) Place the burgers and 2 cups of chopped onion on one sheet pan, and fry-shaped spears of turnips or any root vegetable or sturdy squash on another. Bake at 425 F until the fries are crispy, the onions are tender and the burgers are cooked to your preferred doneness level. Top a serving of fries with a patty, a spoonful of sauce, a scoop of cooked onions and a slice of cheddar cheese. Bake until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melty. An often-overlooked benefit of sheet pan cooking, according to Lillien, is the ability to multitask. The large cooking surface makes it possible to cook multiple items on the same sheet without overcrowding. One of Lillien's favorite recipes in the book, Honey Mustard Pretzel Salmon with Roasted Carrots, asks for just 35 minutes and six ingredients, and leaves you with a well-balanced main dish and a side. 'Honey mustard is such a good flavor-booster. It's very versatile and so low in calories,' Lillien said, and it works like the 'glue' to adhere the crushed pretzels. 'The richness of the salmon works so nicely with the tang and the sweetness of the honey mustard and the salty pretzels.' Serves 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Total cooking time: 45 minutes 2 cups (about 8 ounces) baby carrots, halved lengthwise 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon salt, divided ¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided Two 4-ounce raw skinless salmon fillets ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder ⅛ teaspoon onion powder 1 ½ tablespoons honey mustard, or more for dipping 2 tablespoons lightly crushed pretzels Preheat oven to 400 F . Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place carrots on the baking sheet. Top with oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F . Flip carrots. Add salmon to the baking sheet. Season salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Top salmon with mustard and crushed pretzels. Bake until salmon is cooked through and carrots are tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Set oven to broil. Broil until pretzels are slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Recipe adapted from 'Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories' by Lisa Lillien. Copyright © 2025 by Lisa Lillien. Published by St. Martin's Griffin. Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance lifestyle writer with more than 16 years of editorial experience.
CNN
14-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- CNN
Why a sheet pan is the secret to make every meal of the day easier than ever
Sign up for CNN's Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. Throughout more than two decades of developing new recipes as 'Hungry Girl,' Lisa Lillien has amassed quite the collection of appliances. Her kitchen counter is lined with an air fryer, slow cooker, Instant pot, blender, toaster and more. But if you ask Lillien, who says, 'I'm not a dietitian, I'm not a nutritionist, I'm just hungry,' there's one tool she comes back to again and again: the sheet pan. 'Why sheet pans right now? I hear from my email subscribers often, and nearly everybody wants easier and faster options,' Lillien said. 'Sheet pans really are an MVP of the kitchen because you can place something on the pan, pop it in the oven and you can go about your day.' Unlike some of those other tools, it won't take up precious counter space and often is available for less than $20. 'I'm not a cooking snob. I don't think you need a certain pan, and it certainly doesn't have to be expensive,' Lillien said, noting that the sheet pan she swears by has been in her arsenal since 1999. The ingredients you cook on it need not be exclusive, either. 'We're not promoting that you go buy every grocery from a boutique grocery store,' she noted. 'Hungry Girl is more Walmart than Vanity Fair. I mean that in the best way possible; it's just for everybody. As am I. I want to make smarter, better food choices, but I also love food.' That's the philosophy behind her entire Hungry Girl empire, which includes free daily emails with recipes and healthy cooking tips, a magazine, a podcast (that often reviews products available at major online and in-person retailers), and 16 cookbooks. In the latest, 'Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories,' Lillien shares under-400-calorie recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides and desserts — all made on a sheet pan. 'Sheet pans can do it all: baking, roasting, broiling and even serving,' Lillien wrote in her book. They're 'a breeze to clean. Plus, the raised edges help contain oven spills and drips.' Taking a cue from popular fast food restaurant menu items, viral food trends and beloved comfort foods, the cookbook includes one-pan tricks to make every meal easier. We asked Lillien to coach us through an entire day of sheet pan eats. When flapjacks are doctored up with a big pat of butter and generous shower of maple syrup, 'pancakes are not always the healthiest. They're not always easy to cook evenly, either,' Lillien said. 'When I make pancakes with a skillet or griddle, I often end up burning the later batches because the heat of the pan can be challenging to control.' Lillien sought a solution, which she found and integrated into her recipes for brownie, strawberry and blueberry pancake bars. A sheet pan cooks the batter evenly and allows you to make a week's worth of pancake squares that you can enjoy now, refrigerate for tomorrow or freeze for later. To try this at home: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spritz it with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Mix up your favorite pancake batter. (Lillien digs a whole wheat flour-based blend for a fiber boost.) Pour it into the prepared sheet pan, sprinkle on any desired toppings, like berries or chocolate chips. and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center springs back when you touch it. Typically, if you attempted to recreate a fast food value meal at home, you'd need a deep fryer, grill or griddle, and perhaps a skillet to cook some of the toppings, such as onions or bacon. But Lillien's 'ultimate lunch' — In-N-Out Burger copycat Animal-Style Burger Patties — shows how to DIY on sheet pans. You could try this same concept with any burger and fries you like. For her fast food-inspired midday meal, it all starts with the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together ⅓ cup Thousand Island dressing (light, if you like), 2 tablespoons finely minced onion, ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar. If you have another favorite burger sauce, feel free to swap that in. Then prepare ¼-pound burger patties with whatever meat and seasonings you desire. (Lillien likes 95% lean ground beef jazzed up with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper — the same spice blend she uses to season the fries.) Place the burgers and 2 cups of chopped onion on one sheet pan, and fry-shaped spears of turnips or any root vegetable or sturdy squash on another. Bake at 425 F until the fries are crispy, the onions are tender and the burgers are cooked to your preferred doneness level. Top a serving of fries with a patty, a spoonful of sauce, a scoop of cooked onions and a slice of cheddar cheese. Bake until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melty. An often-overlooked benefit of sheet pan cooking, according to Lillien, is the ability to multitask. The large cooking surface makes it possible to cook multiple items on the same sheet without overcrowding. One of Lillien's favorite recipes in the book, Honey Mustard Pretzel Salmon with Roasted Carrots, asks for just 35 minutes and six ingredients, and leaves you with a well-balanced main dish and a side. 'Honey mustard is such a good flavor-booster. It's very versatile and so low in calories,' Lillien said, and it works like the 'glue' to adhere the crushed pretzels. 'The richness of the salmon works so nicely with the tang and the sweetness of the honey mustard and the salty pretzels.' Serves 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Total cooking time: 45 minutes 2 cups (about 8 ounces) baby carrots, halved lengthwise 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon salt, divided ¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided Two 4-ounce raw skinless salmon fillets ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder ⅛ teaspoon onion powder 1 ½ tablespoons honey mustard, or more for dipping 2 tablespoons lightly crushed pretzels Preheat oven to 400 F . Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place carrots on the baking sheet. Top with oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F . Flip carrots. Add salmon to the baking sheet. Season salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Top salmon with mustard and crushed pretzels. Bake until salmon is cooked through and carrots are tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Set oven to broil. Broil until pretzels are slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Recipe adapted from 'Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders Under 400 Calories' by Lisa Lillien. Copyright © 2025 by Lisa Lillien. Published by St. Martin's Griffin. Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance lifestyle writer with more than 16 years of editorial experience.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After push to remove artificial coloring, FDA approves 3 natural food dyes
Sign up for CNN's Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved three new color additives from natural sources 'that will expand the palette of available colors from natural sources for manufacturers to safely use in food,' the agency said in a news release. The three dyes are Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract and calcium phosphate. US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made phasing out petroleum-based dyes in the nation's food supply one of the priorities in his broader initiative to 'Make America Healthy Again.' Artificial food dyes are facing new restrictions or bans at both the federal level and in more than half the states. In April, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced the agency would work with the industry to remove and replace the dyes, though the FDA largely hasn't yet made this a requirement for industry. 'For too long, our food system has relied on synthetic, petroleum-based dyes that offer no nutritional value and pose unnecessary health risks,' Kennedy said in a news release. 'We're removing these dyes and approving safe, natural alternatives — to protect families and support healthier choices.' Galdieria extract blue derives from Galdieria sulphuraria, a type of red algae that carries a water-soluble blue pigment known as C-Phycocyanin and is found in acidic volcanic hot springs and calderas, according to the FDA and Fermentalg, a French chemical company using micro-algae for colorants, foods and supplements. Fermentalg sought approval for the additive for foods and beverages via a petition it submitted to the FDA in 2021 and has patented a Galdieria sulphuraria extract under the name Everzure. Galdieria sulphuraria's natural ability to reside in acidic environments lends to its stability in food and beverages, which is something food and beverage manufacturers have been concerned about in the shift to natural alternatives to highly stable artificial dyes. Butterfly pea extract is a blue color from which manufacturers can create a range of shades including bright blues, intense purples and natural greens, according to the FDA. It's produced from the water extraction of the dried flower petals of the butterfly pea plant, and is already approved for some uses, including sports drinks, fruit drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, alcoholic beverages, candy and ice creams. Its use is now expanded to also include ready-to-eat cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, plain potato chips, plain corn chips, tortilla chips and multigrain chips, the FDA said. The petition that raised this extract for consideration was submitted in February 2024 by the St. Louis-based Sensient Colors, one of the largest global dye-makers. Calcium phosphate, a mineral compound containing both calcium and phosphorus, provides a white color newly approved for use in ready-to-eat chicken products, white candy melts, doughnut sugar and sugar for coated candies, according to the FDA, whose decision approves a 2023 petition filed by New Jersey-based Innophos Inc., a mineral solutions company. 'The FDA determines whether an additive is safe to use by considering the projected human dietary exposure to the color additive, the additive's toxicological data, and other relevant information, such as published literature,' the agency stated in a news release. The embrace of natural dyes is due to health concerns around artificial colorants, such as increased risk of cancer and neurobehavioral issues. While some manufacturers acknowledge these concerns, they have also highlighted the challenges involved in an industrywide shift to alternative dyes, which is likely due to both state-level bans and the FDA's requirement that food companies remove red dye No. 3 — banned in January — from foods by January 15, 2027. 'Natural colors can be more expensive from a cost-in-use perspective depending on the raw ingredient being used,' Amy Agallar, vice president of investor relations and treasurer at Sensient, said via email May 2. 'The raw ingredients can vary due to many factors such as availability, time to harvest and color availability from the raw material. The natural color needed to replace a synthetic color can be ten times that of a synthetic product.' That discrepancy is partly due to some food and beverage products requiring heat processing or acids that affect the stability of natural colors, Agallar added. 'Some natural colors are also not very light stable and this may be needed in the end application.' Additionally, 'studies show that customers prefer products with color and are more likely to purchase food and beverages with a color that matches the expected flavor,' Agallar said. 'Consumers use the color to identify how a product will taste. Food manufacturers currently use natural color products in about 80% of new colored food and beverages released in the US each year.' There's little funding for research on artificial food dyes, and even less for the study of emerging alternatives — so it's not yet known whether these new natural dyes could have any effect on human health. But with most natural dyes coming from plants and being used in small quantities, 'it's hard to believe they'd have any effect' on the general population, Dr. Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, told CNN in a previous story. Sensient has developed its own safety program, Certasure, Agallar said. 'This program ensures that our natural colors are free of pesticides, heavy metals, microbiological contamination, adulteration, and unauthorized solvents.'
