Why Food Dye is allowed in Canada - when a 2007 study showed it harmed a subset of children

 I've cracked the case. 

Food dye should have been removed from the Canadian food supply before my daughter was born in 2017. But the industry corruption kept it in for more than a decade after there was evidence showing harm and I have the receipts. 

In 2007 the Southampton Study, the largest food dye study of its kind linked artificial food dyes and sodium benzoate to neurological impacts in children in both the 3 year old group and the 8/9 year old group. Both chemical additives are derived from petroleum. 

When the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) evaluated the Southampton Study, the panel of scientists deemed the results of the study limited. They found that the effects were inconsistent across age groups and noted a lack of clinical significance. Ultimately, EFSA determined the findings did not warrant lowering the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for the tested additives.

Since then, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been caught up in controversy after controversy due to the close ties between EFSA panelists and the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI). The ILSI is a industry funded front-group that first started in the 1970s, founded by Coca Cola executive Alex Malaspina. Its members include major food, chemical, and agrochemical corporations.

Critics of the EFSA have highlighted that panel members frequently held simultaneous roles in ILSI task forces or working groups. For instance, Diána Bánáti, the chair of EFSA's Management Board at the time, was found to have a conflict of interest due to her leadership position in ILSI Europe.

The critique alleges that ILSI-affiliated scientists actively promoted risk assessment methodologies (such as the threshold of toxicological concern) that favored industry interests. By adopting these frameworks, EFSA allegedly applied stricter methodological scrutiny and higher uncertainty thresholds to independent, public health-oriented research (like the Southampton study) than they did to industry-sponsored studies.

Despite EFSA’s initial refusal to alter the ADI, the political fallout from the Southampton study was substantial. The European Parliament ultimately mandated warning labels for all foods containing the Southampton Six colors, requiring packaging to state: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."

Health Canada maintains the safety of food dye and cites the EFSA peer-review of the Southampton Study as their sole reason why. They do not participate in risk assessments, fund studies, and they ignore letters from parents across the country telling their stories of neurological impact.