As The Jew & The Carrot readers might remember, I am a complete fool for this chocolate cake - the one my mom made for every birthday party from about 1986-1993. Of course I adored - and still do - anything chocolate, but the thing that truly solidified my obsession was the icing on top: sweet buttercream dyed pink, green, or blue with a few drops of liquid food coloring. (I used to love taking the “hats” off the little David the Gnome-like bottles and watching the colors swirl into the white frosting.)

Unfortunately, according to the Baltimore Sun, in addition to causing cancer in lab rats, synthetic food dyes are now linked to behavior problems in children:

“New research indicates the chemicals can disrupt some children’s behavior, and activists and consumer groups are asking for bans or limits on the dyes. A prestigious British medical journal recommended that doctors use dye-free diets as a first-line treatment for some behavior disorders; British regulators are pressuring companies to stop using the dyes, and some are complying. The issue has generated much less attention on this side of the Atlantic. The FDA says the dyes are safe, and has no plans to limit their use.”

Considering the E. coli and Mad Cow Disease outbreaks in FDA approved foods over the last several years, I’m not so sure that trusting the FDA on this one is the best idea. It certainly would make me think twice about buying that Hannah Montana ice cream cake for my future kid’s bat mitzvah kiddush.  Luckily, I can make my favorite cake a lovely shade of pink or green by adding a few drops of beet or spinach juice into the frosting. (Don’t worry, just like Jessica Seinfeld promises, you won’t be able to taste it!)

(hat tip Treehugger)