One Year Later: Are Synthetic Dyes Still in Our Food?
In April 2025, the federal government made a big announcement about phasing out artificial food dyes. Here’s what has happened since.
Brightly colored snacks, candies, and juices may be visually appealing, but the synthetic dyes that give many of these foods their hue have been linked to a number of potential health problems.
About 72 percent of U.S. adults say they are at least somewhat concerned about the use of synthetic dyes in food, according to a March 2026 nationally representative survey from Consumer Reports, and 66 percent say food (and drug) companies should be required to phase them out.
Despite growing consumer concern and awareness of synthetic dyes, the Food and Drug Administration has not taken action to ban them in full. Instead, last year, the FDA called on food manufacturers to voluntarily phase them out of their products. While a number of companies have made significant commitments toward that end, others have committed to much more limited changes.
Plenty of others, including some of the largest food companies in the country, haven’t made any commitments at all—even though some already use alternative ingredients in other countries, where synthetic dyes are banned or restricted.
“The infrastructure is already in place, so it’s just a matter of flipping the switch on the domestic side, but many of them haven’t,” says Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports. (In some cases, this may be due to ingredient availability or binding contracts.)
What Action Has the Federal Government Taken on Synthetic Dyes?
On April 22, 2025, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA announced they were urging food manufacturers to stop using artificial dyes and switch to natural alternatives. That announcement came a few months after the FDA announced a ban on Red Dye No. 3 in food.
What Have Companies Committed to So Far?
Several manufacturers have committed to eliminating synthetic dyes in their products, though the scope of these commitments varies significantly. A few have already followed through. For example, in 2025, Tyson Foods, Inc. removed synthetic color additives from its products. PepsiCo released new Doritos and Cheetos products made with no artificial flavors or dyes—though the original, dyed options will continue to be sold.
Others have pledged to take action in the future. Campbell’s says it “will no longer produce any food or beverages with FD&C colors by the second half of the 2026 fiscal year.” Mars says it will “offer product options without certified colors starting in 2026.” General Mills plans to eliminate color additives from all U.S. cereals and K-12 school foods by summer 2026, with all certified color additives removed from products sold in the U.S. by the end of 2027.
Some of the nation’s largest manufacturers, including Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Mondelez, have made no concrete commitments at all. Mondelez says it is “actively working on a transition to non-synthetic color alternatives,” while a spokesperson for the Consumer Brands Association, which represents many of the largest food brands, told CR it is “encouraging and working with our members to stop manufacturing with those colors” by December 31, 2027.
It’s hard to say exactly how much the administration’s actions are driving these commitments. Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, a nutritional epidemiologist and professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said she’s noticed that the use of artificial food dyes had already been decreasing for a decade. “This is a pre-existing trend, likely due to increased consumer demand,” says Taillie.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents the pharmaceutical industry, submitted comments in response to the FDA’s draft guidance on medications urging the agency not to ban any synthetic dyes for use in drugs—in part because, they say, dyes are helpful for distinguishing between drugs. We were not able to find any major pharmaceutical company that has publicly committed to phasing out synthetic dyes.
What Still Needs to Be Done to Phase Out Synthetic Dyes?
Ideally, says CR’s Ronholm, the FDA would require the food industry to ban synthetic dyes altogether—“but that doesn’t appear to be forthcoming anytime soon.” In the absence of such federal regulations, some states have taken action instead.
California banned certain synthetic dyes from foods used in school lunches in 2024; it’s set to go into effect in 2027. Last year, West Virginia passed a bill banning seven synthetic dyes from products sold in the state, which will go into effect by 2028. It also passed a bill banning these dyes (and other preservatives) from school lunches, effective August 2025. Texas and Louisiana both have warning label bills requiring labeling indicating potential harm from synthetic dyes.
But many of these state regulations are being challenged in federal courts, and it’s unclear when and whether they will go into effect.
Still, says Ronholm, enough state laws regulating and banning synthetic dyes could put pressure on manufacturers to make changes to their products.
How Can Consumers Avoid Synthetic Dyes?
Without legislation in place, the onus is on consumers to avoid potentially harmful ingredients. Rather than relying on marketing claims such as “no artificial colors” or “all natural”—which Taillie says can be misleading—review the ingredient list on packaged products. Synthetic dyes are typically represented as colors and numbers (like FD&C Red No. 4 or Yellow No. 6). With medications, you can often choose dye-free options.
The simplest way to avoid artificial dyes is to eat fresh, minimally processed foods as much as possible, says Taillie. Be aware, too, that while synthetic dyes may be harmful, avoiding them is just one piece of the puzzle toward healthier eating and a healthier food system.
“It’s definitely good to remove synthetic dyes, but overall, ultra-processed food is a much bigger problem,” says Jerold Mande, PhD, adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a former senior food, nutrition, and health policy official at the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Until better regulations are implemented, Mande says, consumers can “vote with their food purchases.” (You can look up food company commitments on the FDA’s site here.)
