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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Policy,Our Blog on May 20, 2025
Will synthetic dyes be removed from food? If so. How soon could we see these changes?
In a move toward the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a big step in that process.
A timeline.
Does this mean that all foods will look bland, pale, and tan from now on? Probably not. Food is consumer driven after all. And consumers love colors. Fortunately, scientists are already on the case.
In the press statement, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. explains the reason behind the ban on synthetic dyes in food.
“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” said Kennedy. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development. That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust. And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”
Alternatives like calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and other natural dyes are being reviewed as alternatives.
“Today, the FDA is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH. “We have a new epidemic of childhood diabetes, obesity, depression, and ADHD. Given the growing concerns of doctors and parents about the potential role of petroleum-based food dyes, we should not be taking risks and do everything possible to safeguard the health of our children.”
Synthetic dyes, like the petroleum-based synthetic dyes referred to in the HHS missive, are a “group of chemicals derived from petroleum that are used in foods.”
A recent Consumer Reports Fact Sheet breaks this down.
These dyes have always been regulated under the FDA’s Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act. According to the Act, each dye must be analyzed for purity, ensuring that contaminants (like lead and other harmful substances) are below legal limits. All of these dyes must be listed on the ingredient label for consumer transparency.
While there are 42 regulated synthetic dyes allowed in FDA-regulated products, only nine of them have been allowed in food. But not for much longer.
These include:
Citrus Red 2 is only used for coloring the skin of fresh oranges. Scary! Orange B is no longer made in the U.S. “due to contamination by a carcinogen.”
I’m a bit scared that the last two on the list have been legal in the first place.
Even the Consumer Reports “position” is against it. “Because they serve no nutritional purpose, synthetic colors should be banned. At the very least, a warning label should be added to foods and beverages that contain synthetic colors.
These dyes have been linked to serious adverse neurobehavioral symptoms. Issues like hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention. Especially in children at risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Other dyes have been linked to cancer and other health problems.
So, why do we allow synthetic dyes in our food?
It is simple. We are human. We like the colors. And we have free will. Plus, these dyes are likely cheaper and easier to make than natural alternatives.
So. We use them.
Dyes make food more appealing. Evidently, according to the Consumer Reports Fact Sheet, they are even used to make oranges look, well, even more “orangy.”
Yeah. Scary!
What’s worse, foods with more food dye are marketed to children.
A 2016 study looked at over 800 food products. Those primarily marketed to children. They found that more than 90% of candy, fruit-flavored snacks, and drink mixes had synthetic dyes in them.
In the back of your head and deep in your heart, you had to know that synthetic dyes are, at the very least, not-so-great for us. I mean, how good can a neon yellow drink really be for us.
But the more you know, means the more you know.
So, what is the alternative.
Crunchy mama’s across the country have been on the topic for decades. Probably even more so in the last 20 years.
But in order to make it more mainstream and used in industry it needs to be easy, and cheap.
Among others actively working on a solutions, are scientists from Ohio State University. These scientists have been working on a solution since the FDA’s recent ban on Red No. 3. A move put in motion by the previous presidential administration and is expanding to all synthetic dyes in the current one.
The Ohio State University College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has been working with anthocyanins.
While anthocyanins sound like another synthetic chemical, it is actually far from it.
You see, anthocyanins are the natural pigments found in vibrant foods. They are responsible for the rich color of blackberries, red cabbage, and grapes. Among others.
Even better, they even offer health benefits instead of risk.
“Consumers increasingly demand clean labels and natural ingredients, and the FDA’s decision highlights the urgency of innovation in this area,” said Monica Giusti, professor and associate department chair of CFAES Department of Food Science and Technology and fellow in the national Academy of Inventors.
“Anthocyanins are not just natural replacements; they also have health-promoting properties.”
The problem is figuring out a way to extract them and make a product that will hold up to heat, light, or exposure to other common additives (like vitamin C).
They are currently studying how anthocyanins interact with different foods. A concept that will enable these positive dyes for use in industry. With great success so far!
Good news, since the newly published timeline has a fast approaching deadline.
For some dyes, the ban will be immediate.
For example, Citrus Red No.2 and Orange B will happen within the next few months. HHS has already initiated the process to revoke authorization for these substances.
The six remaining synthetic dyes have a deadline for the end of next year. Including moving the existing timeline for Red Dye No. 3, which has an existing deadline for 2028 under previous mandates.
All food additives will still need to undergo FDA approval. Though the agency explains that four new natural color additives are already being authorized in the coming weeks. Others will be allowed accelerated review and approval to support this initiative.
To ensure that these changes are not just better, but sufficient to achieve the goal, the agency is partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to “conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development.” A timeline for this aspect of the plan was not published.
With Froot Loops being colored with real fruit and Kool-Aid made with real ingredients, do you think consumers will see a drastic change?
Probably.
I expect that the colors will not be as vibrant. Drinks will be a bit more mild.
But I do think that it will eventually become the new normal and we won’t notice it after a while.
Regardless, I think fewer chemicals in food is a good thing.
But will it come at a financial cost? Only time will tell.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “What Are Synthetic Dyes and Why Does HHS Want Them Banned from Food?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)