Goodbye Artificial Dyes: Why Companies are Phasing Them Out

hacfitness

5 months ago

by Nate Widom

Soon, the processed foods in the grocery stores may look a little less colorful. Thanks to recent consumer pushback and some state actions, companies are once again phasing out artificial dyes en masse. Two recent events accelerated the trend this year, and now major players like Hershey, Nestle, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, and Tyson are following suit. We’re now seeing more eyes on natural dyes instead. So, how did we get here, and what does this mean for consumers?

The Complicated History

Answering this question requires an examination of the history and controversy of dyes. If you’re looking at brightly colored, factory-made food, it likely contains dyes. These dyes can be synthetic, petroleum-based, or derived from natural sources like plants, animals, and minerals. Due to their colorful nature, they’re usually in products marketed to children.

Dyes have been used since the Middle Ages, when dairy farmers mixed carrot juice and annatto into butter for a yellower color. Once petroleum-based dyes were discovered, the dairy industry switched due to their low cost. Now, the colors spread to other foods and have become a critical tool for marketing.¹

The FDA currently approves nine synthetic dyes, but one, Red No. 3, is being phased out. And Red No. 3 wouldn’t be the first synthetic dye that was once FDA-approved and later found to be harmful. Despite thorough testing to determine the safety of these compounds, advancements in our health data and testing capabilities have occasionally led to changes in the FDA guidelines. Some consumers are understandably skeptical as a result.

The nine FDA-approved dyes include Blue No. 1 and 2, Citrus Red No. 2, Green No. 3, Orange B, Red No. 3 and 40, and Yellow No. 5 and 6.²

Complicating this, several studies have found links between artificial food dyes and hyperactivity as well as some cancers. Still, many of these dyes have been banned, restricted, or require a warning label outside of the USA as a result. For example, the UK requires labeling any food with some synthetic color additives with a warning stating, “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”³
However, these studies are controversial, with ongoing debate among the scientific community. The FDA and the European Food Safety Authority currently stand firm in their belief that these dyes are safe for human consumption^.4

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, below is a list of some colors previously approved, but now banned in the USA:⁵
Found or suspected to be carcinogenic: Butter Yellow (1919), Green 1 (1965), Red 1 (1961), Red 2 (1975),
Sudan 1 (1919), and Violet 1 (1973)
Association with organ damage: Orange 1 (1956),
Orange 2 (1960), and Red 32 (1956)
Association with intestinal lesions in high doses: Yellow 1 and 2 (1959)
Association with heart damage in high doses: Yellow 3 and 4 (1959)

Consumer Shifts & Companies are Listening

It’s important to note that food dyes are only used for aesthetics. And because of all this hoopla and growing demand for foods to be as natural as possible, consumer preference is changing.
In 2016, Mars announced it would phase out artificial food coloring in some products,⁶ and Kraft Heinz announced they would remove them from their Mac & Cheese.⁷ In 2015, General Mills announced it would remove artificial colors and flavors from its products, too, but the change wasn’t as well-received. Shortly after introducing their new version of Trix Cereal free of synthetic dyes, General Mills returned to the original recipe in response to consumer criticism.1 Still, the natural dye industry is expected to grow from $4.57 billion USD in 2023 to $7.54 billion USD in 2032.⁸

Newest Developments

In addition to public preference, new agreements and legislation have accelerated the exodus further. 2023’s California Food Safety Act banned Red No. 3, and the state’s 2024 School Food Safety Act prohibited the rest of the synthetic dyes in school lunches.

If the public wants something done, sometimes states and cities take the lead. Take, for instance, trans fats. They were banned from NYC restaurants in 2006, then in California in 2008. Companies started removing them from their products in 2009, and they were finally banned nationally in 2018.⁹

The FDA later followed in California’s footsteps in January 2025, also banning Red No. 3 nationwide. Under this new regulation, the dye will become prohibited in foods as of 2027, and in drugs as of 2028. Utah, Virginia, and Arizona have also followed California’s footsteps to ban artificial dyes in school foods. West Virginia passed legislation to ban synthetic dyes entirely, which will take effect in 2028.¹⁰

The FDA says that Red No. 3 was found to cause cancer in rats years ago, but the hormonal mechanism that caused the cancer exists only in rats, not humans, hence why Red No. 3 was initially approved for human consumption. Despite this, Red No. 3 will soon be eliminated from our foods due to a provision in the 1958 Food Additives Amendment called the “Delaney Clause,” which prohibits the FDA from authorizing a food or color additive if “it has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals.”^2,11

In April, the FDA then requested food manufacturers to “phase out” all the remaining artificial dyes by the end of the year 2026. However, this is only voluntary. With this announcement, they also fast-tracked approval of a few natural colors:¹²

Galdieria extract blue – a bright blue sourced from algae
Butterfly pea flower extract – a blue to purple color sourced from the butterfly pea flower
Calcium phosphate – a white, natural mineral

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is particularly critical of this request, citing that many food manufacturers have broken their promise about committing to natural dyes in the past.¹³ However, many companies recently announced they are rapidly phasing out synthetic dyes from their products. These include Hershey, J.M. Smucker, Conagra Brands, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Nestle, Sam’s Club, Tyson Foods, WK Kellogg, PepsiCo, and Kellanova, to name a few.¹⁴

Consumer Effects & Concerns

The definitive benefit of this exodus is that we, and especially our children, won’t be consuming as many synthetic dyes. And whether or not you are concerned about the potential health implications of synthetic additives, your diet certainly won’t be worse off without them.
That said, natural dyes are pricey to say the least; it’s estimated they’re 10 times more expensive than similar artificial ones. Plus, they’re usually imported, require a higher concentration, and are less stable.

For example, carmine is derived from insects that live in the cacti of Central and South America. It takes 70,000 insects to create just over two pounds of the signature red color.¹⁵

Some also raise eyebrows about testing. Natural dyes face less stringent testing than synthetic ones. If they’re derived from natural sources, they may even be exempt from certification.^{12, 15}
What often gets lost in the debate over artificial dyes is the broader nutritional picture. Think about the types of foods that typically contain dyes – many of them really aren’t great for you to begin with. Though switching from artificial dyes to natural ones may add trace vitamins and minerals, it won’t really impact the nutritional value of those items. A naturally dyed cake or cookie will still likely be full of fat and sugar. Some critics, therefore, believe that this exodus isn’t addressing the root problems of health and nutrition. That’s why, as with all things, moderation is key.

NBC highlights the Atkinson Candy Co. and its shift to natural colors in its amber-colored Chick-O-Stick product. The product now uses annatto. But getting there required years of testing, supply chain issues, and customer pushback. Sales eventually did increase, and the CEO credits growing interest in natural dyes as a contributing factor.¹⁵

How You Can Avoid Dyes Yourself

Suppose you are concerned about limiting you or your family’s consumption of synthetic dyes. In that case, it’s essential to check the ingredient list on the nutrition label, as it mentions dyes, both natural and synthetic. You may see the same list of the artificial dyes discussed earlier or any of the popular natural ones below.