The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) yesterday called on the U.S. FDA to ban eight food dyes, used in products including General Mills Inc.'s Lucky Charms cereal, because of their links to hyperactivity and other disruptive behavior in children.

In its petition, the health advocacy group urged the FDA to ban coloring listed on ingredient labels under names such as Blue 2 and Red 40. According to the health group, studies have shown that some children's behaviors are worsened by the dyes, whose use has been rising.

Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Washington-based, Center for Science in the Public Interest, said, "The continued use of artificial food dyes is the secret shame of the food industry and the cops in Washington that are supposed to be protecting the public from unhealthy ingredients.”

The CSPI articulated that the products containing the dyes include Kraft Foods Inc.'s guacamole flavor dip, which gets its "greenish" color from Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 rather than from avocados. The Center also wrote, the "blue bits" in Aunt Jemima blueberry waffles, made by a company owned by Blackstone Group LP, are blue because of Red 40 and Blue 2, not blueberries.

The Center also wanted the FDA to ban Green 3, Orange B, and Red 3; many of the dyes are produced in China and India. It also urged the FDA to direct the food manufacturers to put warning labels on foods with artificial dyes.