Doritos Jalapeno cheddar munchies sandwich cracker is safe to consume. Viral claim is false.

Various chemicals and additives in food items have been a matter of concern for consumers. While food safety is becoming a priority for people, many have been found to believe n rumours or misinformation. 

Against this background a social media post claiming that the use of Tartrazine by Doritos in its Jalapeno cheddar is poisonous for humans is going viral. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Food safety regulatory bodies had declared Tartrazine as safe food additive when consumed within acceptable daily intake level.

What’s the claim? 

Social media users are claiming that Doritos uses Tartrazine (Yellow 5) food additive in Jalapeno Cheddar Munchies which is poisonous in nature.

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Fact Check- 

First, we checked if Doritos really contain Yellow 5 or Tartrazine as a color additive. Doritos Jalapeno cheddar munchies sandwich cracker is a product of Frito lay company. According to company’s website, this product contains enriched wheat flour, palm oil, canola oil, TBHQ and citric acid to preserve freshness, maltodextrin, whey sugar, corn starch, salt etc. Apart from this, artificial colors like Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Yellow 5 lake, Yellow 6 lake are also used. 

It is also mentioned in the website that Yellow 5, also known as Tartrazine, is a Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C) approved color additive.

Tartrazine, a synthetic lemon-yellow azo dye, is widely used as a food colorant in many countries including the EU, USA, and Canada. It is found in various products such as dairy, desserts, beverages, cosmetics, and medications. Despite being one of the most commonly used food additives, tartrazine has been linked to adverse reactions, including hyperactivity, asthma, rhinitis, hives (urticaria), and dermatitis. Many initial studies were found to have flaws, often producing false positive results due to factors like withholding asthma medications during testing. More rigorous research using double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) challenges has shown that tartrazine does not worsen asthma or cause urticaria, even in aspirin-sensitive individuals, and there is no evidence of cross-sensitivity between aspirin and tartrazine. Adverse reactions to tartrazine are extremely rare, with less than 1% of individuals showing sensitivity, and most people can safely consume it without issues. 

As per information provided in the FDA website, fifteen colors including Yellow 5 were approved by FDA in 1931. Yellow 5 along with other straight color are in the list of colors approved by FDA. This color is used generally in foods. 

The EFSA reviewed the safety of Yellow 5, also known as Tartrazine which is a yellow food dye used in many products. Studies showed that only a tiny amount of Tartrazine is absorbed by the body, while most of it is broken down by gut bacteria and leaves the body in urine. An acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 7.5 mg per kg of body weight was set many years ago, but the studies used were not detailed enough or focused on mixtures of dyes instead of just Tartrazine. Because of this, EFSA advised for more research to fully understand if Tartrazine is safe and if the ADI needs to be updated.

Below you can see the list of EFSA approved food additives.

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Although there were previous reports of health issues upon consuming Yellow 5 (Tartrazine), but further research found flaws on those reports. FDA and EFSA has approved Yellow 5 as a color additive. It has been declared as safe when consumed under Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) value.