Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University Food Safety and Packaging 3092-7668 1 1 2025 05 15 Sweeteners and food colorants: Serious concerns in food safety 44 56 121679 10.30466/fsp.2025.56048.1005 EN Shagayegh Moradi Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, School of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Leila Manafi Health Products Safety Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Zohre Ahmadi Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, School of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Maryam Imani Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, School of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Razzagh Mahmoudi Medical Microbiology Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Journal Article 2025 03 10 Food additives, such as sweeteners and food colorants, play an important role in the food supply. But despite their widespread use in food, there are always concerns about their side effects on consumer health, and their excessive use can lead to adverse effects. This study aims to provide a brief overview of the beneficial and harmful effects of some sweeteners and food colorants on human health. For this purpose, studies conducted on these food additives from 2001 to 2025 were reviewed. Related articles were collected by using the keywords "food additives, sweeteners, colorants, and health effects." From scientific databases such as Pubmed, Science Direct, Elsevier, SID, etc. The results of studies have shown that artificial sweeteners and colorants, despite their widespread use in industry, can compromise food safety and lead to side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, and even cancer in consumers. On the other hand, with the increase in consumer awareness, the demand for natural additives has increased. Therefore, dyes and artificial sweeteners should be limited, and their natural types should be used instead. https://fsp.urmia.ac.ir/article_121679_035573e32d6796cffa7a823b7441d51e.pdf