But after testing cola products in 10 states, the Center for Environmental Health said it found high levels of the caramel coloring agent called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) in all Pepsi cola products.
The safety of our products is a top priority and we comply with regulatory guidelines everywhere we do business. We understand that some consumers and other stakeholders have questions about the safety of the caramel coloring used in some of our products.
Red 40, also known as Allura red, is in several popular candies, sodas and chips - including Doritos, Skittles, and Pepsi - as well as baked goods and cake mix.
The most common artificial dyes in soda are caramel color, yellow #5, and blue #1.
Foods that contain red dye 40
While it's more obvious in some foods, not all of the products that contain red dye 40 are a shade of red. This artificial food coloring hides in many processed grocery items, including: Breakfast cereals. Sodas and other soft drinks.
CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LESS THAN 2% OF: CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM BENZOATE (TO PROTECT TASTE), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, GLYCEROL ESTER OF ROSIN, YELLOW 6, RED 40.
Soft drinks – Sprite, Coke, Diet Coke, Mountain Dew; no red or purple dyes. Gatorade – No red or purple dyes.
Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks, and a possible human carcinogen—4-methylimidazole (4-MEI)—is formed during the manufacture of some kinds of the coloring.
Coca-cola is brown because it contains added caramel color. Caramel color is a commonly used food coloring and is listed on the Coca-Cola label. The kola nut, which is the origin of the word cola has a red-brown color and was likely the inspiration behind the colors used in Coca-Cola's branding.
If your child must have a soft drink, try 7-Up, Squirt, or Sprite. These brands are naturally flavored and free of dyes — though they all contain sodium benzoate, except Sierra Mist NATURAL.
Answer: Patriotism. As you can see in the photo above, the logo was initially all red. That changed inl the 1940s with the advent of World War II: To show support of the war, Pepsi unveiled a new bottle cap that featured the Pepsi script surrounded by swirling red and blue colors on a white background.
Carbonated Water, Sugar, Colour (Caramel E150d), Acid (Phosphoric Acid), Flavourings (including Caffeine), Sweeteners (Acesulfame K, Sucralose).
Soft drinks, including sodas, are widely consumed in the United States [1,2]. A common ingredient in many soft drinks (e.g., colas, root beers, iced teas) is caramel color [3,4] produced with ammonium compounds (i.e., caramel color type IV)[5,6].
The official Pepsi colors are red, blue and white. We recommend using the Pepsi color palette for personal projects and in the case of commercial use to visit the company website. The color codes: RGB, CYMK for print, Hex for web and the Pantone colors can be seen below.
In the early 40s, CEO of Pepsi came up with the idea to put the company logo onto the bottle cap and add the blue color to the mix. The redesign pursued two goals – to stand out from Coca Cola and show support for the United States during World War II (red, white, and blue are the three colors of the US national flag).
In 1950, the company launched a new bottle cap logo. The logo had blue color for the first time. So, a combination of red, blue, and white in the Pepsi logo evoked patriotic feelings following World War II. During the 1950s, Pepsi marketed itself as a brand with better value.
Coca-Cola Clear is a colorless variant of the soft drink Coca-Cola. Without the normal caramel ingredient, Coca-Cola Clear has none of the typical dark Coke color.
A chemical found in many sodas may be dangerous to your health, Consumer Reports says. And no, it's not sugar (this time). The golden-brown color of many soft drinks comes with a dose of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI. On U.S. product labels it appears simply as “caramel coloring.”
Alcohol was distributed in the same way. But while alcohol was taxed at the time, soft drinks were not. So, the Coca-Cola Company began painting its barrels red in order to help customs and tax officials distinguish them from barrels of booze.
Sensitive individuals react to this dye in different ways. Major symptoms of tartrazine intolerance include skin rashes, hives, and nasal congestion. Rarely, tartrazine is said to cause asthma in sensitive individuals.
Additionally, both adults and children have reported upset stomach, migraines, jitteriness, nervousness, and inability to concentrate after a high intake of Red Dye 40. The CSPI released a report that says artificial food dyes pose a “rainbow of risks,” including everything from allergies to cancer.