FDA and HHS announce plans to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes

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In an April 22, 2025, press release, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that petroleum-based synthetic dyes would be phased out through a series of measures.

“Today, the FDA is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, in the press release. “We have a new epidemic of childhood diabetes, obesity, depression, and ADHD. Given the growing concerns of doctors and parents about the potential role of petroleum-based food dyes, we should not be taking risks and do everything possible to safeguard the health of our children.”

Six actions are listed as being taken by the FDA to remove the dyes from the country’s food supply:

1. Create a national timeline and standard for the industry to transition to natural alternatives from the petrochemical-based dyes
2. Begin the process to revoke authorization of Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, two synthetic food colorings, within the coming months
3. Remove the remaining synthetic dyes by the end of 2026 by working with industry to achieve this goal. Those dyes include 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. 2
4. In the coming weeks, authorize four natural color additives and accelerate the review and approval of others
5. In partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), research how the health and development of children is affected by food additives
6. Request the removal of FD&C Red No. 3 by food companies sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline

The effort is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative, the press release explained. Reviews of natural alternatives including calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and others will be fast tracked by the FDA. It will also be delivering guidance and regulatory flexibilities to industries. Additionally, the FDA and NIH Nutrition Regulatory Science and Research Program will strengthen research on nutrition in order to make evidence-based policies.

“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” stated HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in the press release. “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.”