Balanced whole system parenting

Balanced Whole System Parenting
Red Dye #40 is a common food coloring used in the United States and has approval from the Food and Drug Administration to be used in foods such as cereal, baked goods, beverages drugs and cosmetics. Even with its widespread use in United States, organizations such as Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have continued to oppose Red Dye #40 and called for its banning based on the argument that the food coloring has serious side effects. However, calls for banning of Red Dye #40 has been dispelled by those arguing there is no conclusive evidence to support banning of the food coloring since research was conducted based on a limited section of the population. This essay investigates the two sides of the argument concerning banning of Red Dye #40 in order to conclude on best scientifically acceptable option.
Supporting Arguments For and Against
Support for those in favor of banning Red #40 is based on association of the food coloring with symptoms such as hypersensitivity in sections of the population. It is noted that Red #40 should be banned because of its side effects that includes swelling around the mouth and causing hives for those who consume food dyed by the additive. The negative effects of Red #40 have also been experienced in children who have experienced extreme emotional reactions such as hyperactivity after consumption of the dyed food. The reaction is experienced a few hours after taking food with the affected children demonstrating violent disposition or lose self-control (Borg, 2012).
Yu and Scherer (2007) support this argument noting elimination of the Red Dye #40 from food has been found to reduce the levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity, compulsive behavior and emotional difficulties. Additionally, some of the consumers buying these food and beverage with Red Dye #40 might not be aware of the effects even when there are labels indicating presence. Consequently, the most appropriate approach n dealing with the issue is banning Red Dye #40 to stop its sell in food stores.
Argument against banning of Red Dye #40 is based on refutations of some of the grounds used to call for the banning of the food-coloring additive. For instance, removal of Red Dye #40 from food should not be perceived as only means of eliminating hyperactive disorders for concerned children. This is because studies in this area have not been specific when assessing some of the symptoms. Many of the food and beverage that have been tested contain multiple additives; therefore making attempts to single out Red Dye #40 as the main causative factor for noted symptoms a flawed exercise (Lok, Grimshaw, McCann and Stevenson, 2006). Additionally, these studies have targeted specific sections of the population when collecting samples for research. Based on the investigation conducted by Stevenson et al (2014), most of the studies used to investigate the health implications of food coloring compounds such as Red Dye #40 sampled children categorized as hyperactive, making it difficult to generalize the findings as being representative of the broad population.
Conclusion and Personal Opinion
From the foregoing arguments to support banning of Red Dye #40, it has been argued that the food coloring compound has side effects for consumers. Children are also affected as it causes hypersensitivity for those sampled while some of those affected might be aware of the effects. However, arguments against banning of Red Dye #40 is based on the fact that research on side effects have been conducted on specific sections of the population and should not be generalized for the entire population. Given that the side effects are not experienced in the entire population, I also oppose suggestions that Red Dye #40 should be banned. I find beverage for instance drinks that are sold in Red Dye #40 flavor enticing and more appealing for consumption.
References
Borg, E. (2012). Balanced Whole System Parenting. Bloomington, Indiana: Booktango.
Lok, K. Y. W., Grimshaw, K. E. C., McCann, D. C., & Stevenson, J. E. (2006). Is an azo-free diet nutritionally superior than one containing azo-dyes?. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 19(6), 465-466.
Stevenson, J., Buitelaar, J., Cortese, S., Ferrin, M., Konofal, E., Lecendreux, M., … & Sonuga‐Barke, E. (2014). Research Review: The role of diet in the treatment of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder–an appraisal of the evidence on efficacy and recommendations on the design of future studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(5), 416-427.
Yu, W., & Scherer, W. (2007). What to Eat for What Ails You. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds.