MADISON, Wis. -- A recent study in the British Medical Journal is giving hope to some families that have long speculated there is a link between artificial food color and hyperactivity in some children.

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The study was conducted with 297 children ages 3 to 9 who did not have ADHD. The study found increased hyperactive behavior after the children ate a mixture of food colorings and the preservative sodium benzoate.

The research was enough for the British Parliament to vote to add warning labels to products containing synthetic food dyes. The labels will read, "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."

And the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency has also asked food makers to voluntarily recall six artificial food colors by 2009.

The European action is good news to St. Mary's Dietician Tammy Fumusa who believes the dyes are directly related to her own son's hyperactive behavior.

Last year Fumusa cut synthetic food dyes out of the family's diet.

"It's very hard," she said. "When you start looking at the labels – this stuff is in everything from Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to a lot of beverages we drink. A lot of it comes from processed food – what your child shouldn’t be having a lot of anyway. But many parents do turn to that quick and easy food."

For families just starting to cut dyes out, she said start with Red dye #40 and Yellow Dye #5.

"I really think it has helped, just those two dyes has helped quite a bit," said Fumusa. "We watch for them on labels, cut them out and implemented other things like these (cereal bars) that are just the same, they just don't have the dyes."

Fumusa's son has diagnosed ADHD, but she believes many children's hyperactive behavior might be linked to the dyes, rather than ADHD.

But U.S. studies, thus far have gone back and forth on the issue.

The National Institutes of Health maintains that a 1982 study concluded there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that colorings or other food additives caused hyperactivity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the same stance.

But the Center for Science and the Public Interest conducted studies over three decades, which it said showed children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes.

"The research doesn't show exactly that for sure the food dyes are causing the problem with ADHD or hyperactivity in children, but when you look at families and talk to families that have cut out a lot of these food dyes and then watched what happens to their children you can see a big difference," said Fumusa.

On a recent shopping trip, WISC-TV found artificial food dyes in everything from juice to pickles to cereal, more so in products marketed to children. The brighter the package or product, the more likely it was to contain artificial food dye.

"Don't buy it because it has Sponge Bob on it," said Fumusa. "Don't buy it because it has Dora on it. Find a more natural product for your child."

Many grocers, like Woodman's stock foods that have no artificial colors. Consumers need to read labels and packaging carefully to be sure.

And, WISC-TV found that Kraft does make an organic macaroni and cheese that had no food dyes, but it costs nearly .40 cents more that the regular version with yellow dye.

"To completely cut it out is really hard, but I know that the parents who really do cut it out have found benefit in it," said Fumusa.

The Center for Science and the Public Interest is asking the FDA to require warning labels on foods with artificial dyes while it considers the group's request to ban eight dyes.

"Companies are starting to realize this is becoming an issue," said Fumusa. "People are looking at the dye situation."

The Grocery Manufacturer's Association sides with the FDA and NIH that food dyes are safe and that, "there is no need for consumers to alter their purchasing and eating habits."

"I think this will lead to more and more studies in this area, which I think they need," said Fumusa. "They need to focus on this because what parents are turning to is medication."