Product Focus: Crystal Light Drink Mix

• You'll notice 2 different sweeteners listed in the ingredients. Artificial sweeteners are sometimes bitter or have unusual tastes so they usually mix different types of sweeteners so they cancel out one another's undesirable tastes. The artificial sweeteners in this product; Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium have been linked to cancer.
  
  Aspartame is also a source of phenylalanine. There is a mandatory warning label at the bottom of the ingredient list stating **Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine. These warnings are specifically placed to aid individuals who suffer from phenylketonuria (PKU) so that they can avoid such foods.
  
  
• Artificial Color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1) - Artificial colorings are synthetic chemicals mostly used in foods with low nutritional value. The use of colorings means that fruit or other natural ingredients have not been used. Artificial colorings Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6 are linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children and should be prohibited from use in foods.
  
  Artificial Colors listed include Yellow 5 which has been shown to produce allergic reactions to people with aspirin sensitivity. Red 40 a widely used food dye in junk food has been noted to cause behavior problems in young children and migraines and upset stomach in adults. Blue 1 has been linked to migraines, sleep disturbance, depression and can cause an allergic reaction to people with asthma and hyperactivity in children.
  
  
• Ingredients such as "natural flavor and "artificial color", are not regulated by the FDA beyond assurance that the chemicals in the coloring or flavoring are "generally recognized as safe", a designation open to arbitrary interpretation. Failure to identify specific flavorings and colorings is in itself a red flag. Further, recent citations by the General Accounting Office have strongly implied that the FDA has little or no interest in implementing a food safety program (GAO-08-909T), providing adequate food labeling oversight (GAO-08-597), or even providing fresh produce safety (GAO-08-1047).
  
  

Ingredients List - Crystal Light Drink Mix