Our Natural Earth Paint customers often ask us, why should I use natural dyes for Easter eggs if I'm not eating the egg shell?
1. Conventional dyes can leech toxins into your eggs.
When you dye eggs, the dyes seep through the egg shell into the hard boiled egg, and then the egg is eaten! Have you ever seen that little bit of color on the egg when you peel it after dying it? Toxins from conventional egg dyes can be in your eggs even if you can't see that color, and especially if you can.
2. Conventional dyes are questionably-sourced and environmentally harmful.
Some food dyes, even those approved by the FDA, include colors synthesized from petroleum derivatives. Originally made from coal tar, Red #40 is now made from petroleum. Other red dyes are made from carmine, which is essentially squashed bugs. How gross is that? These bugs are farmed and crushed on a massive scale; almost 100,000 of these insects must be killed to yield about 35 ounces of carmine. This process isn't vegetarian or kosher, let alone ecologically responsible.
3. Conventional dyes are a health hazard.
Egg dying can be messy, especially when you dye eggs with little ones. The egg dye can get on your hands, clothing, and countertops, dying a lot more than just your eggs! Exposing your skin to toxins can be extremely detrimental to your health, and studies on the chemical Red #40 show correlations between exposure to the chemical and hyperactivity as well as ADHD symptoms. Still, Red #40 is the most prevalent food dye in the United States. Yikes!
So what's the alternative?
Our Natural Egg Dye is made from food-grade ingredients like veggies and spices. It produces bright and beautiful dyed eggs free from toxins and environmentally harmful ingredients. By purchasing our egg dye, you're supporting:
- The sustainable production of beets, purple carrots, spinach, blueberries, and turmeric instead of petroleum products and carmine,
- The eco-friendly use of recycled paper in packaging even though it's a more expensive packaging option, and
- The growth of a small, woman-owned sustainable business instead of a multi-national corporation that exploits its workers and the environment.
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