Synthetic dyes are in much more food in the US than hot red sweets and electric blue freezing pops. They are lurking in a huge variety of foods and drinks – even those not ‘dye’.
A recent study Published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Show how common the dyes are. With the help of a large database with food sold in the US, researchers analyzed their labels on seven synthetic dyes, almost all of them derived from petroleum. Currently, Nine synthetic dyes Are allowed in what we eat and drink. (The FDA forbade one, Red Dye No. 3, in January 2025, and is busy withdrawing authorization for two others, Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2; All synthetic dyes are meant to be to be phased out of the American food supply.)
In addition to finding these dyes in brightly colored foods, the researchers also found them in more muted foods such as blueberry dredges, taco shells, carbonated drinks and hot dog rolls. In general they were present in about 1 of the 5 foods and drinks.
‘[Finding it in] Plain Hot Dog Buns was shocking for me, “says Elizabeth Dunford, who led the study and is a deputy university teacher at the Gillings Global School of Public Health of the University of North Carolina and member of the George Institute for Global Health at the University of New South Wales. “I don’t think these are on the radar of the average consumer.”
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The health risks of consuming synthetic dyes are not entirely clear, but study In animals show that they can damage DNA, contribute to overactivity of the immune system and cause cancer. There are still not enough data that investigates how these dyes can influence people, but researchers are investigating the possible links between them and hyperactivity and neurobehavioral issues in children. Dunford says that, given their prevalence on the American food and beverage market, “we need new safety studies.”
In April 2025, US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced That HHS and the US Food and Drug Administration would write all synthetic dyes based on petroleum in the food supply towards the end of 2026 and replaced them with natural alternatives. The agencies also withdraw approval for two colorings in the dyes – Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B – and are planning to approve four new natural colors for food.
Kennedy said that HHS would also collaborate with the National Institutes of Health to conduct deeper studies into how food additives influence the development of children.
Currently, American regulatory bodies categorize synthetic dyes such as “safe when used in accordance with the FDA regulations”, which determine which types of foods they can contain and in what is. But some states have taken stronger steps to warn consumers of their potential health risks.
California passed in 2023 legislation To ban four additives from food sold in the state and in school food programs by 2027. In March 2025, West Virginia determined Similar legislation aimed at foods provided through nutrition programs for school and food that is sold in the state. In June, Texas has adopted a law It requires warning labels for foods that contain one of the more than 40 additives or dyes in foods, starting in 2027.
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The warning labels are similar to those on some foods in Europe that contain synthetic dyes or additives as a way for consumers to be aware of their exposure, although the definitive studies of health effects have not yet been carried out. It is an effective way to warn consumers of possible damage and enable them to make better informed decisions about what they eat, says Dunford. “The fact that there is a potential risk can make consumers follow a different approach,” she says.
Food manufacturers also tackle synthetic dyes. JM Smucker Co. dedicated to removing synthetic dyes from its products, such as its sugar -free fruit spreads, ice -point and some hostess products, by 2027. Force-Heinz Also promised To stop using synthetic dyes in new products and to phase them from existing products in 2027. A spokesperson for the company said Kraft DELETED Artificial colors, flavors and preservatives of his Mac & Cheese in 2016. General mills said it would remove these dyes from grains and foods that were provided to the American schools in the summer of 2026, and HersheyConagra, PepsicoAnd Mars have also promised to remove synthetic dyes from their foods.
Such movements should help to eliminate part of the burden of consumers, which have had to control labels up to this point and have to inform themselves about the presence of dyes in food and drinks. Dunford notes that some companies also sell two versions of the same product – one made with synthetic dyes and one without – so it is up to the consumer to distinguish between the two. “Consumers should not do that,” she says, that is why warning labels can be a better way to inform people about where synthetic dyes may hide.
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