Red Dye 40

Among health professionals, many parents, and some international food laws, red dye 40 is nothing but a health hazard. It can be found in the snack aisle among candies, chips, drinks, and other processed goods. Red dye 40 is a synthetic food dye made from Petroleum. It is banned in the United Kingdom, Norway, France, and Austria. But at its core, red dye 40 is the all-American magic that accompanied us to slumber parties, movie dates, late-night munchies, school lunches, and birthdays in the form of our favorite snacks and beverages. With it, we might be at risk for adverse effects such as childhood attention issues. But without it, we lose some of the moments that made growing up a sticky, crumby, cheeto-y miracle. With that, I give you my top 3 best moments of red dye 40. 

The Super Bowl:

Speaking of all-American, the Super Bowl would be unrecognizable without red dye 40. The only things I want to put in my Super Bowl (pun fiercely intended) are snacks that include red dye 40 (AKA the good ones). But alongside the foods we provide for ourselves on gameday and the ones advertised to us in iconic commercials, red dye 40 has a much more influential role in the Super Bowl than we give it credit for. Fans who are familiar with Super Bowl traditions know that each year we take our guesses at what color of Gatorade will be dumped at the end of the game. Since the mid-1980s, this tradition has stretched and added another mark to the long list of Super Bowl bets we love to make. Our friend, red dye 40, can make it into the Super Bowl every year if the coach gets lucky enough to be drenched in Fruit Punch Gatorade. So take a chance on red dye 40 and bet on red.

The Movies:

Let’s move on to the sentiments. Nothing says adolescence like a first date to the movies, and you can’t go to the movies without stopping by the concession stand. Sweaty hands, pungent PINK perfume, probably a choker (if you also had your first date in the mid-2010s), and red dye 40 are all I needed on my first movie date. The culprit? Obviously the Cherry-Coke slushie mix and Red Vines. Not your thing? Red dye 40 was probably still involved in your first movie date if you enjoyed Bubblicious Gum, Starburst, or Skittles. When your date turned, and looked at you with that dead-eyed look our dates love to make before leaning in for a smooch, you bet that Red Dye 40 was there from the Altoid they popped just seconds prior. 

Slumber Parties:

It was a right of passage to attend a slumber party during adolescence. These parties were formative experiences no matter how they went. The giggling; The Twilight Saga; the “I’ll sing if you sing”; and of course, the red dye 40. Slumber parties were about the secret trading just as much as they were about the adorable snacks we shared with our best friends through stifled laughter and parental begging of please, for the love of everything good go to bed. Alongside our aforementioned chips, sodas, and candies, we also celebrated with red dye 40 when we devoured Betty Crocker (love that woman) Red Velvet Cake, Pillsbury Funfetti or Yellow Cake, or Hersey’s Chocolate Syrup. One of the most magical moments of the slumber party was the morning after. Whether you were scrambling for sustenance or the parents provided a feast, red dye 40 sat groggily along with you in the form of Froot Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms, or Reece’s Peanut Butter Puffs.

As I doom scroll on my social media, I’m flooded by videos instructing me on perfecting my diet, lifestyle, and overall idea of health. I go to bed early, I drink (potentially too much) water, and I happily eat my vegetables. But in the end, when I inevitably live until my mid-100s, I will look back fondly at the years when red dye 40 wasn’t even in my vocabulary, but a colorful cog in my childhood. Red dye 40 might not be the pinnacle of health (or even healthy at all), but just like acne, mood swings, and Hot Topic, the formative moments of our adolescence would not have been the same without it.