FDA Plans to Eliminate Artificial Food Dyes By End of 2026

April 22, 2025 – At a press conference today, Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary announced that the FDA is “effectively removing all petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply.”

Makary said his agency will work with the food industry to eliminate FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 23 from products, including by approving new natural dye replacements and establishing a national standard and timeline to help companies make the transition.

“There’s no one ingredient that accounts for the child chronic disease epidemic,” Makary said. “Taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America’s children healthy, but it is one important step. This administration is not interested in continuing down the path of doing the same old things as we watch our nation’s children get sicker. We need fresh new approaches.”

For decades, public health advocates have been pushing food companies, regulators, and lawmakers to end the use of the artificial dyes based on their links to behavioral and other health issues in children, especially hyperactivity. The United Kingdom and European Union restrict their use in foods, but the FDA has long maintained that they’re safe for most children. On their way out the door, Biden administration officials banned Red Dye No. 3 based on animal studies showing a link to cancer. California enacted the first state ban on artificial dyes in school foods in September of 2024, and other states have followed suit.

After Makary’s announcement, Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) advocates and influencers, including activist Vani Hari and functional-medicine physician Mark Hyman, took to the stage to applaud the announcement. “Now we are entering a new era. An era where we don’t need to worry about artificial food dyes on the frosting of a birthday cake,” Hari said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the FDA, was the closer. Kennedy said while there are many issues he hopes to tackle on his MAHA agenda, “Food dye is just a no-brainer. We can act on that now.” While the FDA’s plan depends on companies’ willingness to work with the agencies, Kennedy said they had already demonstrated an eagerness to do so.