The Color of a Flavor

If you went to your favorite restaurant and ordered your favorite meal, and it came out a different color, would you still eat it? What if it was a blue steak and green fries? According to Morgen Jahnke in “The Influence of Color on Taste Perception,” some participants in a 1970s study became ill when they found out they ate blue steak and green fries (2). Even though food coloring does not impact the taste of the food, many people will become physically ill at the thought of eating a food that has been artificially colored. Most people will also associate the food's color with a taste and claim the food has a different taste than it actually contains. The artificial colors of food prove to change taste perception without changing the actual taste. Artificial food coloring has impacted the human body for centuries.

If you were given a green orange, would your mouth water for it the same? In his article, “The Scarlet Batter,” Daniel Engber explains how oranges are often green when they’re fully ripe. “They turn orange on the tree only when exposed to cold weather or bathed in ethylene gas” (Engber 2). Food color aversion is the subconscious decision to eat, or not eat, a food based on its appearance. As a consumer, there are many subconscious food decisions made every day. Without actually thinking “Which color is more desirable?” consumers will choose foods based on their colors. Many companies use different colors for marketing to get you to look at their packaging, but more recently, more companies have been attempting to change the color of the food to do the same. Heinz Ketchup created a line with a variety of colors to choose from, in hopes to make kids excited to eat ketchup, but it didn’t last for long (Janke 3). Many children didn’t like the thought of eating a green, or purple, condiment. Many different types of foods are changed to a different color to please the consumer. Kids aren’t the only target for food companies to please; “In [butter's] original state [it] can be nearly white, but for commercial purposes is dyed yellow” (Janke 2). Most consumers want specific colors for their foods. For example, if someone wanted a Smurf cake, they would want a specific color blue, which is something a natural dye from fruit or vegetables wouldn’t be able to do. Natural dyes don’t give the dark, or bright, shades that are more desirable. Food companies have a tough time getting rid of artificial food coloring for this very reason. I interviewed three people about their willingness to eat certain foods. None of them have heard of food color aversion before, but all three of the people I interviewed told me that they wouldn’t eat a hotdog at its natural color: greyish-beige. Two of the three told me they wouldn’t even try an orange if it was green. I then asked them what their favorite color candy was, and all three of the three told me it was pink. Color aversion can not only impact our willingness to eat a food, but it can change the taste altogether.

Studies have been done with white wine containing tasteless food dyes, which has proved to change the taste. According to Engber, one study proved to fool a panel which thought the white wine tasted like berries (3). A different color isn’t the only thing that can trick the brain — a different shade of the same color is too. A study was done to compare the sweetness of the same juice based on the shades, of which subjects claimed the brighter juice was much sweeter (Engber 3). Some companies have tried to remove food coloring from their drinks to appear natural, but the results didn’t work out it their favor. In 1992, Pepsi introduced Crystal Pepsi, which was the same Pepsi they have been selling, but it was clear instead of brown. According to Jahnke, consumers complained and claimed it tasted like lemon-lime soda, even though the flavors remained the same (3). Soon after Pepsi Clear failed, Coca-Cola tried Tab Clear, and Miller came out with a clear beer, which consumers claimed had a medicinal aftertaste (Engber 3). Out of curiosity, I grabbed three identical jugs and filled them with a lemon-lime soda. I put a different color in each of them. The first jug had red food coloring, the second jug had blue food coloring, and the third jug had green food coloring. I poured the drinks into clear cups for everyone to drink. I asked each of the twenty people to describe the taste of each of the drinks. I was surprised to see the consistency in all of the answers. For red, everyone said it tasted like either raspberries or cherries. For blue, everyone said it tasted like some kind of mixed berry. For green, they either said it tasted like apples, lime, or kiwi. I decided to take a sip of each myself. I knew they were all the same drink, but when I looked at the color and drank them, they tasted different to me, too. Jahnke described the same experience when she tried the green ketchup in her article. She described it as “Expecting one type of taste and getting another. […] My brain had a hard time processing [the typical taste]. The green ketchup just tasted different.” (3-4). During my interview, I asked if they have ever consumed something and thought it was something different, and all three people I interviewed told me that they have and were both shocked and upset when it had happened. Food coloring has not only been proven to trick our brains, but has also proven to be harmful to our bodies as well.

All three out of the three people I interviewed told me that they have heard of food coloring allergies and think food coloring is bad, because it is artificial. Many colors are banned in different countries, but allowed in the United States. According to Adam Burrows in “Palette of Our Palates: A Brief History of Food Coloring and Its Regulation,” many European countries have banned some food dyes that are still legal in the US today (20). “Today, only seven colors remain on the FDA’s approved list” (Hennessey 3). According to Rachel Hennessey, there are 80 different artificial food dyes, but most are illegal now, due to investigations (4). The Pure Food and Drugs Act, instituted in 1906, began the first restrictions on food coloring (Hennessey 4). For centuries, scientists have further researched foods, but some of the most arguable studies are the impact on the human body from artificial food coloring. In the past century, two important artificial food colors were banned due to children becoming ill after ingestion and suspicion of it being a carcinogenic (Harris 2). The FDA has a limited list of food coloring that is approved to consume, but is still arguable as safe. Grocers Manufacturing Association has questioned the ban of many food colorings, claiming that the side effects only impacted a small group of people and it could just be a food coloring allergy (Hennessey 6). According to Gardiner Harris in the article FDA Panel to Consider Warnings for Artificial Food Colorings, GMA also stated, “All of the major safety bodies globally have reviewed the available science and have determined that there is no demonstrable link between artificial food colors and hyperactivity among children.” (2). Many different factors can impact the research that has been done. Some have argued that the human body digests differently than animals, so animals shouldn’t be tested for faults in artificial food coloring. “While maligning the increasing number of colors being prohibited from use, the House admits in its report that many colors one thought safe have, in fact, been shown to be toxic by modern testing” (Burrows 13). The FDA only retests “coal-tar colors” due to the fact that it is a long process and will cost a lot (Burrows 13). This testing isn’t done on all colors, but, in his article, Adam Burrows wrote about how many of these colors are preapproved by the FDA before they can enter the market (13). Overall, food coloring is still regulated today, and is still tested for different harms it may cause.

After centuries of research, scientists have discovered the many ways artificial food coloring tricks minds and impacts the body. The way someone tastes food can change based on the color, due to color aversion. All three of the people I interviewed knew about food coloring, but still said they wouldn’t eat some foods at their natural color. Artificial coloring will not only impact ones’ willingness to eat a food, but the taste as well.

Works Cited:

Adams, O. Personal interview. 12 Feb. 2016.

Burrows, Adam. "Palette of Our Palates: A Brief History of Food Coloring and Its Regulation."

Wiley Online Library. 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

Engber, Daniel. "The Scarlet Batter." Slate Magazine. 14 Mar. 2007. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Harris, Gardiner. "F.D.A. Panel to Consider Warnings for Artificial Food Colorings." The New

York Times. The New York Times, 29 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Hennessey, Rachel. "Living in Color: The Potential Dangers of Artificial Dyes." Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Jahnke, Morgen. "The Influence of Color on Taste Perception." Interesting Thing of the Day. 19 Mar. 2007. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Meylan, A. Personal interview. 12 Feb. 2016.

Ostyn, K. Personal interview. 12 Feb. 2016.