CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Whether it’s icing, candy toppings, or Superman ice cream, people may soon see changes when that sweet tooth craving hits.
U.S. health officials are urging food makers to phase out some artificial dyes in our food supply.
They’re not issuing an outright ban, but they’re aiming to achieve the changes through voluntary cooperation from the food industry.
Although there is no official ban on petroleum-based artificial dyes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it wants the food industry to switch to natural alternatives.
FDA officials say the threat of legal action from the food industry in the past has required the government to have significant scientific evidence before banning additives.
After Red No. 3, a common food dye, was banned under the Biden Administration, a shift toward natural ingredients started gaining traction.
The owner of Bubbies Cookies and Treats, previously known as King Street Cookies, said the impact of eliminating these dyes wouldn’t be too detrimental.
He says overall inflation costs associated with other main ingredients hurt him more than a possible change in appearance.
“Again, just using M&Ms as the example, it’s a slightly less red M&M. I don’t think that’s going to cause a problem and certainly not because everybody else is going to have to buy the same slightly less red M&M that we’re competing against,” Cohen says.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary says that the agency would take steps to eliminate the synthetic dyes by the end of 2026.
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