Why do we add this crap to our foods. There are no nutritional value to this being added to our foods, the only reason why this is added is to make the food that you are eating more appealing. Many synthetic food dyes used today have been proven to cause cancer, hyperactivity (particularly in children), inattentiveness, asthma, and in rare cases death.

Evidence is World Wide

In February 2007, The Brazilian Journal of Biology published their findings on tartrazine (yellow dye). It is a nitrous derivative and is known to cause allergic reactions such as asthma and hives. Tartrazine belongs to the “azo class” of food dyes meaning it is a possible carcinogen. Azo class is derived from petroleum distillates.

The UK Food Standards Agency commissioned two studies in 2003. Both in-depth studies concluded that food dyes adversely affect children. Some increased behaviors include lack of concentration, lack of focusing, interrupting conversations, talking too much and fiddling with objects or their own body.

This 2003 study coincided with results from an informal study conducted with 8 and 9 year old students at a school near Toronto, Canada in 2008. For one week, students were asked what they ate for breakfast and their snack and lunch foods were recorded. Behaviors were monitored throughout the day. Those students who ingested a minimum of three food dyes demonstrated increased levels of lack of concentration, restlessness and fiddling with their shoes or their own body. It's also interesting to note that the children with increased behaviors also take a daily multi-vitamin that contains synthetic food coloring.

People choose certain food over other purley because of the presentation and if that means adding in colours then so be it.

You pretty much answered it, the only question really is why the government won't restrict it, but the reason why we do it is already answered.

ive seen some of the food eaten in the UK...the food dyes are nothing to worry about.