What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Yellow 5 safe in food and drink?

Q: Is yellow 5 safe in food and drink?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, yellow 5 in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 5 sourced concerns count (irritant · allergen, consensus tier; theory, consensus tier; suspected carcinogen, emerging tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

Food additives1 use researched5 sourced claims

Where it turns up: artificial yellow food colour. Detox My Life researched yellow 5 under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
Eaten or drunk	Watch	Swap	Swap	5 · 0

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.

Eaten or drunk Swap

Under the default Cautious lens yellow 5 in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Watch; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (5)

ConsensusIrritant · allergenconfidence 90%

Ingestion of Yellow 5 (tartrazine) can cause allergic-type reactions, including hives, itching, coughing, vomiting, and asthma, particularly in susceptible individuals such as those with aspirin hypersensitivity, leading to mandatory labeling in drugs.

Why here: This is a well-documented adverse reaction upon ingestion, recognized by regulatory bodies like the FDA, which mandates labeling for drugs containing Yellow 5.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of food, drugs, or other products containing Yellow 5. The prevalence of tartrazine intolerance is estimated at less than 0.12% of the general population.
The other side: The overall incidence of FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine) sensitivity in the general population is low.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

4 web articles (chemicalbook.com, webmd.com, tidestrading.com, …), linked in the app.

ConsensusTheoryconfidence 90%

Ingestion of Yellow 5 (tartrazine) may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children, leading to a mandatory warning label in the European Union.

Why here: This claim is directly related to regulatory action taken in the European Union concerning the ingestion of Yellow 5 in food products.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of food products containing Yellow 5.
The other side: The U.S. FDA, in 2011, concluded that a causal relationship between children's consumption of certified color additives and behavioral effects had not been established. The FAO and WHO, in 2017, concluded that occasional exposure to tartrazine does not represent a significant health concern in children or adults.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

1 web article (goodtoknowfacts.org), linked in the app.

EmergingSuspected carcinogenconfidence 70%

Ingestion of Yellow 5 may pose a potential cancer risk due to genotoxic effects observed in in vitro studies and the presence of benzidene, a known carcinogen, at low levels.

Why here: This claim is based on in vitro and animal studies suggesting DNA damage and potential for carcinogenesis upon ingestion.
What would have to be true: Prolonged or high-dose ingestion of Yellow 5.
The other side: While some studies suggest a link, the evidence is not yet considered conclusive enough by major regulatory bodies to classify Yellow 5 as a human carcinogen at typical exposure levels. The FDA's Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) for artificial food dyes are based on animal studies and assume safe levels.

Sources the engine cites:

Toxicological and ecotoxicological aspects of tartrazine yellow food dye: a literature review - Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais — RBCIAMB — rbciamb.com.br (2020) · review
1 web article (amenclinics.com), linked in the app.

EmergingMetabolicconfidence 70%

Preclinical studies suggest that chronic or high-dose ingestion of Yellow 5 may lead to toxic effects such as oxidative stress, inflammation, neurotoxicity, metabolic disruption, and hepatotoxicity.

Why here: These effects have been observed in experimental animal models and in vitro studies, indicating potential systemic impacts from ingestion.
What would have to be true: Chronic or high-dose ingestion of Yellow 5.
The other side: These findings are primarily from animal models and in vitro studies, and direct evidence linking these effects to typical human ingestion levels is limited or inconsistent.

Sources the engine cites:

Toxicological Effects of Tartrazine Exposure: A Review of In Vitro and Animal Studies with Human Health Implications - PMC — nih.gov (2022) · regulator or public body
Toxicological Effects of Tartrazine Exposure: A Review of In Vitro and Animal Studies with Human Health Implications - Preprints.org (2025) · review
Toxicological and ecotoxicological aspects of tartrazine yellow food dye: a literature review - Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais — RBCIAMB — rbciamb.com.br (2020) · review

EmergingTheoryconfidence 80%

Consumption of synthetic food dyes, including Yellow 5, is associated with hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children, as indicated by human and animal studies and a state-level health assessment.

Why here: This claim is based on scientific studies and reports linking Yellow 5 ingestion to behavioral changes in children.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of food products containing Yellow 5.
The other side: The U.S. FDA, in 2011, concluded that a causal relationship between children's consumption of certified color additives and behavioral effects had not been established. The FAO and WHO, in 2017, concluded that occasional exposure to tartrazine does not represent a significant health concern in children or adults.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

2 web articles (amenclinics.com, healthline.com), linked in the app.

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for yellow 5 when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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