Washington, D.C. – Fast foods. Fruit rollups. Cereals. Candy. Soda. Chewing gum. All have at least one thing in common: food coloring made from chemicals.
“It’s everywhere, and some data suggest it can impact a child’s behavior, but is it harmful to their health?” asks food safety expert Laura Anderko, Ph.D., R.N., the Robert and Kathleen Scanlon Chair in Values Based Health Care within the School of Nursing & Health Studies at Georgetown University Medical Center.
On Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st, the Food Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will discuss a possible link between children’s consumption of synthetic color additives in food and adverse effects on behavior. The committee is charged with reviewing and evaluating available data and making recommendations to the FDA on food-related matters.
“There are data to suggest these additives might increase hyperactivity in children” says Anderko, a who also serves as a member of the Children's Health Protection Advisory committee for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Some are well-designed studies, but the sample size is fairly small and cover brief time periods.”
Anderko is available to discuss food safety concerns and possible reasons why this issue is getting attention now from the FDA. Members of the press wanting to arrange an interview with Anderko should contact Karen Mallet at km463(at)Georgetown(dot)edu or call 215-514-9751.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC’s mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO). In fiscal year 2009-2010, GUMC accounted for 79 percent of Georgetown University's extramural research funding.
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