Dollar General Company and Responsible Management/CEO,

We who sign this petition would like to request that you pull your "True Living Hummingbird Red Nectar Powder" and the "First Nature Premium Hummingbird Nectar" from being available in stores, and remove it from being shown on your website. It is disappointing to see that these hummingbird nectar mixes, containing unnecessary red dye, are available in your stores.

Why would we like to see these products pulled? For starters, no research has been done to determing the safety of this additive, Red #40, for hummingbirds or any other wild bird. Red #40 is potentially toxic and carcinogenic, and the coloring is not necessary. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, not the dye itself, and therefore the feeders themselves can provide the coloring that attracts a hummingbird's attention. Hummingbirds also have an intense metabolism, and consume such large amounts of this dye-filled nectar. Their livers cannot process the high Iron in commercial nectar substitute. To quote one source: "The Accepted Daily Intake (ADI) for Red #40 approved for human consumption by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a maximum of 7 mg per kg (0.007 mg/g) of body weight (equivalent to 0.007 mg per g body weight). In other words, a 3.5 gram hummingbird that consumed 0.0245 mg of red dye would exceed the WHO standards for humans."

Those included in this list of signatures care greatly for our hummingbird friends, and do not want to do them any harm. Those who have been educated to the potential danger usually make their own nectar and avoid red dyes, but there are so many people still unaware of the consequences even though they love these birds. They will purchase this dye-filled mixture in your store, not knowing any better. Please be a responsible company, set a good example, and remove these two products entirely. We hope that you will step forward and encourage healthy care of these hummingbirds (as we can still buy our sugar to make nectar mix at home from your stores even if these products are pulled.)

For more information on why hummingbirds should not consume red dye, please view the following links:

1. Ornithologist Sheri L. Williamson - "Feeding Hummingbirds: Seeing red over dye"
2. Audubon says, "Red coloring is not necessary and the chemicals could prove to be harmful to the birds."
3. Even Cornell suggests, not to use red dye.
4. A video discussing why we should "Stop Feeding Hummingbirds Nectar with Red Dye"
5. A more in depth article on why NOT to add red dye

 Again, we request that you remove the two products from your website and stores to set a positive example in caring for our wildlife friends, the hummingbirds. Thank you for your time, and for hearing the concerns of those who have signed.