Looking for a healthier alternative for your baking decorations? Watkins natural sprinkles have no FD&C and use natural colors in their sprinkles!

Natural Food Coloring Decorations

Do you like to bake but hate the idea of all the artificial food colorings and flavours? You are not alone! With more and more research showing the harmful effects of FD&C in our foods, it is no surprise consumes turn to organic and natural products today!

One problem in the past, however, is the taste and quality difference. Many natural products either lack in flavour, consistency or visual appear. Not anymore! Watkins has come out with many natural and organic products that rock your taste buds and provide even better quality than before!

Harmful Effects of FD&C

It is not easier to find definitive proof on safety of current FD&C food colorings. There is much debate on safety of certain colors and you really need to check your sources.

Some colors, like FD&C Yellow no 5, aka Tartrazine, has been linked to cause allergic reactions and is still considered a possible carcinogen (ref. NCBI PubMed.gov)

Other colors have often been reported to increase hyperactivity in children, especially those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While studies are few and far between, many parents have done ‘elimination’ diets and discovered after removing FD&C colors from their children’s food, their hyperactivity had decreased.

The Purpose of FD&C in Products

Appearance! You may ask yourself “Why the heck would we put harmful food colorings and ingredients into our food and our children’s food?”

It boils down to wanting to make thinks look good, to look enticing and appealing! From our food products and vibrant decorations to our cosmetic products – FD&C is bright and colorful and catches a consumes eye!

Let’s face it, beet extract, carrot extract, spirilina extract…they are natural and safe but they are not as vibrant as the artificial FD&C additives.

The Verdict

100% your choice. If you don’t use food coloring often you may choose to continue use of FD&C artificial colorings. But if you (or the kids) love sprinkles on ice cream, on cereal, in pudding, on cakes or in bananas & milk as a bedtime snack…you may want to opt for a more natural choice.

And personally, I would be inclined to try more natural options like this to see how it helps my child(ren)’s attention and hyperactivity levels!

If you are wondering about the Watkins natural sprinkles and how they taste – they are amazing! I tried them out today and they are full of rich flavor and are soft in texture with a slight firmness. So unlike the hard candy crunch, these are still firm but softer on the teeth!