WASHINGTON — Petroleum-based synthetic dyes are found in thousands of foods and beverages within the United States. Getting dyes out of products by the end 2026, as the US Food and Drug Administration in an April 22 news conference announced it aims to do, will take a combined effort from farmers, distributors, manufacturers and formulators.

Blue No. 1 and No. 2, Red No. 3 and No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and No. 6, and Green No. 3 look to be the most problematic.

“It could take a considerable amount of time for companies to establish relationships with suppliers of natural color alternatives, reformulate products and change product labeling,” said Claudia Lewis, a partner in Washington-based Venable LLP. “However, given that some companies sell products without synthetic dyes in other countries, the transition may be easier than anticipated.”

Paul Manning, president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Sensient Technologies Corp., spoke about the transition to natural during an April 25 earnings call.

“It is important to note that while some synthetic colors can be replaced relatively quickly, other conversions require a longer lead time to scale crops to the levels that would support the conversion,” he said. “Our teams are busy working on production capital and supply chain expansion to help our customers prepare for this conversion, and we continue to expand our natural color portfolio.”

Naturally sourced colors are more sensitive to light, heat and acid, he said. They have a shorter shelf life compared to synthetic colors. The supply chain for natural sources of color presents challenges.

“Products are growing all over the world, all different parts of the world, and like a fine wine, there are differences in the crops year after year, region across region,” Manning said. “And these differences manifest themselves as shade differences, stability differences, and so there again it’s our ability to standardize that process for our customers so that red is the same red year after year after year and regardless of where they may sell it and the storage conditions that they may have.”

Red No. 3 Sales Decline

Data from Nielsen IQ (NIQ) show No. 40 was the most prevalent synthetic dye, found in 23,904 food and beverage items at US retail. The percentage of ingredient sales for Red No. 40 over the 52-week period ended Feb. 22 mostly came for candy, gum and mints at 28.2%, followed by beverages at 21.7% and salty snacks at 15.4%.

The number of food and beverage items containing Red No. 3 was 5,416. Over one-fifth (20.2%) of Red No. 3 ingredient sales were for use in desserts. Other heavy users of Red No. 3 were candy, gum and mints at 15.7%, sweet snacks at 11.9%, cookies and crackers at 11.2%, and diet and nutrition at 10%.

Sales of foods and beverages containing Red No. 3 have trended downward for about two years, according to NIQ data, and that plunge intensified after the FDA announced in January plans to ban its use. Sales of products containing Red No. 3 declined about 5% for the four-week period ended Jan. 25 when compared to the same four-week period of the previous year. Then sales fell about 15% for the four-week period ended March 22.

“We’re seeing a sharp decline in sales since the Red Dye No. 3 ban was announced in January 2025,” said Sherry Frey, vice president of total wellness at NIQ. “Whether or not this is directly correlated with the ban announcement, it appears consumers are increasingly paying attention to the ingredients.”

Blue No. 1 was found in 18,868 food and beverage items. Candy, gum and mints, at 36.2%, and beverages, at 24.1%, accounted for the most ingredient sales of Blue No. 1 for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 25. Blue No. 2 was found in 4,071 food and beverage items. Candy, gum and mints, at 60.4%, and salty snacks, at 12%, accounted for the most sales of Blue No. 2 for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 25.

Yellow No. 5 was found in 22,471 food and beverage items. The top three categories of sales for Yellow No. 5 were candy, gum and mints at 27.3%, beverages at 25%, and salty snacks at 12.2% for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 25. Yellow No. 6 was found in 16,327 food and beverage items. The top three categories for sales of Yellow No. 6 were salty snacks at 28.9%, candy, gum and mints at 23.4%, and beverages at 13.6% for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 25. Only 82 food and beverage items contained Green No. 3.

The FDA in the coming months plans to revoke authorization for two other dyes: Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B. The FDA currently approves Citrus Red No. 2 for coloring the skins of oranges not used for processing, while Orange B is authorized for use in coloring the casings of hot dogs and sausages, Lewis said.

“Few, if any, companies still use these dyes in their products,” she said. “Paprika is often named as a replacement for both dyes. Other replacements for Orange B include annatto.”

Potential New Natural Sources

The FDA plans to authorize four new naturally sourced color additives in the coming weeks: calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue and butterfly pea flower.

Calcium phosphate, a compound containing calcium and phosphate ions, may be used to enhance the cloudiness of soy milk and certain nutritional drinks, Lewis said, adding the compound could replace titanium dioxide, which is a synthetic food coloring used to give foods a white color.

The Food and Drug Administration soon may approve the use of butterfly pea flowers extracts, which then could replace Blue No. 1 or Blue No. 2.

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The other colors may be used to replace Blue No. 1 or No. 2 in beverages, candy and other confectionery products, she said. Galdieria blue is extracted from the microalgae, Galdieria sulphuraria. Gardenia blue extract and butterfly pea flower extracts are blue colorings extracted from plants, Gardenia jasminoides and butterfly pea flower, respectively.

Lewis spoke up for the safety of the US food supply in general.

“When you consider the sheer volume of food that is distributed and imported on a daily basis and relative to the instances of foodborne illnesses, I think the US food supply is safe,” she said. “The variety and availability of food has increased dramatically. For example, when I was a child, when strawberry season was over, there was no more access to fresh strawberries unless you canned.

“Today, the global supply chain has afforded consumers almost unlimited year-round access to foods. Of course, there are outbreaks of Salmonella and other foodborne bacteria, but compared to the volume of food and complicated supply chain, it is relatively low. In my view, that is a result of a diligent FDA and companies that adhere to rigorous food safety standards.”