April 22, 2025
Etienne Girardet/UNSPLASH.COM
The FDA plans to ban petroleum-based artificial dyes. The dyes are used in thousands of food products, including cereals, to make them more appealing to consumers.
The Food and Drug Administration will ban eight artificial food dyes from food, beverages and vitamins — a massive overhaul that will impact thousands of products ranging from cereals to candy, federal officials announced Tuesday.
Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long pushed for artificial dyes to be removed from the American food supply, claiming they are contributing to increasing rates of chronic health conditions, including diabetes, obesity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, among children.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary touted the impending ban as a win for children, saying it's "not a silver bullet that will instantly make America's children healthy, but it's one important step."
The FDA will begin taking steps to eliminate six artificial food dyes by the end of the year, Makary said. They are blue dye No. 1, blue dye No. 2, green dye No. 3, red dye No. 40, yellow dye No. 5 and yellow dye No. 6. The FDA also will revoke the authorization of citrus red No. 2 and orange B within the coming months.
Earlier this year, the FDA, under the Biden administration, banned red dye No. 3. Now, the FDA will move up the deadline for food companies to remove that dye from their products, Makary said. But he did not provide a new timeline.
Petroleum-based synthetic food dyes are added to thousands of foods in the United States including cereal, snacks, candy, vitamins, beverages and other products, often aimed at children, to brighten foods and drinks and make them more appealing to consumers. They "provide a colorful identity to foods that would otherwise be virtually colorless," a 2010 report in Environmental Health Perspectives explained. But research has identified carcinogens in the artificial dyes red No. 40, yellow No. 5 and yellow No. 6. Also, yellow No. 5 has been shown to alter DNA in rodent and microbial studies.
"We are simply asking American food companies to replace petroleum-based food dyes with natural ingredients for American children, just as they already do for children in other countries," Makary said. "American children deserve good health."
The FDA's ban of red dye No. 3 in January came after years of pressure from advocacy groups and industry research that showed the additive causes cancer in rats. A 2021 study by California's Office of Health Hazard Assessment also found red dye No.3 and other synthetic dyes are linked to decreased attention span, memory problems and other behavioral issues in children.
Makary said artificial dyes have been linked to a litany of health problems, including ADHD, obesity, diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal issues and allergic reactions. He said the vibrant food colors produced by artificial dyes entice people to continue eating even after they feel full. He touted the ban as a way to lower rates of chronic conditions and thereby reduce American spending on medications.
The FDA previously has maintained that the "totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them."
At a meeting in March, Kennedy told food manufacturing companies that he wanted them to stop using artificial dyes in their products over the course of his term, according to a memo ABC News obtained.
On Tuesday, Kennedy pledged that artificial dyes were merely the first food additive that the Trump administration will target.
"We're going to get rid of the dyes, and then one-by-one, we're going to get rid of every ingredient additive in food that we can legally address," Kennedy said. For those that can't be banned – like sugar – he pledged to heighten public awareness about their impact on health and work with Congress to ensure food products have "adequate labeling."
A lack of federal oversight of artificial food dyes has prompted some states to create laws to protect consumers from harmful chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group that tracks state food chemical legislation.
West Virginia became the first state to ban certain artificial dyes in school lunches. Kennedy was with West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey when he signed the law, which takes effect in August.
California has a law that will eliminate synthetic dyes from school lunches beginning in 2028.
The Environmental Working Group cites 26 states, in addition to West Virginia and California, that are working toward banning some food dyes and other additives.
Pennsylvania limits heavy metal content in baby formula but does not have existing or proposed legislation to ban food dyes. Legislators in New Jersey have proposed laws to prohibit the use of red No. 3 and certain other chemicals in foods, according to the tracker.
