The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have announced a series of measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.
The FDA is taking the following actions:
- Establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based synthetic dyes to natural alternatives.
- Initiating the process to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings – Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B – within the coming months.
- Working with industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes – FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5 and No. 6 and FD&C Blue No. 1 and No. 2 – from the food supply by the end of next year.
- Authorizing four new natural color additives in the coming weeks, while also accelerating the review and approval of others.
- Partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development.
- Requesting food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously required.
“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “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.”
The FDA is fast-tracking the review of calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, butterfly pea flower extract and other natural alternatives to synthetic food dyes. The agency also is taking steps to issue guidance and provide regulatory flexibilities to industries.
[RELATED: FDA Revokes Use Of FD&C Red No. 3 Dye In Food Products]