Latest news with #Green3
The Hill
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Which companies have agreed to drop artificial food dyes?
Video above: FDA announces in April 2025 that it will phase out food dyes. (NEXSTAR) — Dozens of companies that make ice cream and frozen dairy desserts announced on Monday that they would remove artificial food dyes from their products by 2028, marking yet another voluntary move away from such food coloring within the food industry. It comes in response to a mission set forth by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove the artificial additives. Why are companies ditching artificial dyes? In April, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would move to eliminate several synthetic dyes by the end of next year. That includes Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2. Red 3 was set to be banned in food by 2027 because it caused cancer in laboratory rats; the FDA called for that deadline to move up. A new Texas law could have wider effect on how food products are made, experts suggest The agency is relying largely on voluntary efforts by food manufacturers but also plans to establish a standard and timeline for the food industry to switch to natural alternatives and revoke authorization for dyes not in production. Additionally, the FDA said it would authorize four new natural color additives. Which companies have said they'll stop using dyes? Many U.S. food companies are already reformulating their foods, according to Sensient Colors, one of the world's largest producers of food dyes and flavorings. In place of synthetic dyes, foodmakers can use natural hues made from beets, algae and crushed insects and pigments from purple sweet potatoes, radishes and red cabbage. Among those that have recently announced plans to ditch synthetic colors are General Mills, Pepsico, ConAgra, Nestle, McCormick, Tyson Foods, Sam's Club, JM Smucker, Hershey, and Kraft Heinz. In-N-Out confirmed to Nexstar's KLTA in May that it was removing artificial coloring from some items. Nonetheless, relying on voluntary action rather than regulatory requirements won't guarantee compliance, said Thomas Galligan, a scientist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. 'Talk is cheap,' Galligan said. 'It's easy for companies to make promises to look like they're being compliant and generate goodwill among consumers and the Trump administration, but it remains to be seen if they will actually follow through.' Not every company is joining in. Mars, which makes Skittles and M&M's, has been a hold-out, according to reports. Are artificial dyes bad? Artificial dyes are used widely in U.S. foods. In Canada and in Europe — where synthetic colors are required to carry warning labels — manufacturers mostly use natural substitutes. Several states, including California and West Virginia, have passed laws restricting the use of artificial colors in foods. Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA has maintained that the approved dyes are safe and that 'the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.' Which foods contain Red 3, the dye now banned by the FDA? The FDA currently allows 36 food color additives, including eight synthetic dyes. Removing dyes from the food supply will not address the chief health problems that plague Americans, said Susan Mayne, a Yale University chronic disease expert and former director of the FDA's food center. 'With every one of their announcements, they're focusing in on something that's not going to accomplish what they say it is,' Mayne said of Kennedy's initiatives. 'Most of these food dyes have been in our food supply for 100 years. … So why aren't they driving toward reductions in things that do drive chronic disease rates?'
Mint
14-07-2025
- Health
- Mint
US ice cream makers vow to remove artificial dyes from products by 2028 amid health concerns
Around 90% of U.S. ice cream producers have pledged to remove artificial dyes from their products within the next three years, according to U.S. health officials. The move is part of a broader voluntary effort encouraged by the Trump administration to eliminate synthetic colours from the American food supply due to potential health concerns. Announced on Monday, July 15, the commitment involves approximately 40 companies in the ice cream and frozen dessert industry, although specific brands were not disclosed. Seven petroleum-based dyes — Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — will be phased out by 2028, said Michael Dykes, president of the International Dairy Foods Association. Turkey Hill Dairy CEO Andy Jacobs was among those publicly supporting the initiative. US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary called the shift 'a Renaissance moment for health in America,' and said new natural alternatives, such as Gardenia (genipin) blue, have already received FDA approval. This plant-based dye can now be used in sports drinks, confectionery, and other products. The FDA previously banned Red 3 earlier this year due to cancer risks observed in animal studies. While companies have until 2027 to stop using the dye, Makary issued a letter on Monday encouraging faster action. Despite widespread praise, some health experts caution that removing dyes alone will not make ice cream a healthy food. 'It still is a food that should be consumed in moderation,' said Deanna Hoelscher, a nutrition expert at the University of Texas, noting that added sugars and saturated fats remain key contributors to chronic disease. Makary also hinted that forthcoming federal dietary guidelines may reevaluate long-held views on saturated fat and heart disease, calling the current position 'a 70-year demonisation of natural saturated fat.' Consumer advocates, while supportive of the direction, questioned whether voluntary compliance would be enough. 'Talk is cheap,' said Thomas Galligan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. 'It remains to be seen if they will actually follow through.' The average American consumes approximately four gallons of ice cream annually, according to industry data. Federal officials have encouraged manufacturers to adopt natural colouring agents derived from fruit juices, plant extracts, and similar sources.
UPI
25-06-2025
- Health
- UPI
Study: 1 in 5 U.S. food, drink products contain synthetic dyes
Synthetic food dyes are added to 1 in 5 packaged foods and drinks sold by top U.S. food manufacturers, a new study says. Photo by Adobe Stock/Zilong Zhang/HealthDay News Synthetic food dyes are added to 1 in 5 packaged foods and drinks sold by top U.S. food manufacturers, a new study says. The most common dye was Red 40, which was present in 1 out of 7 (14%) products, according to the paper published Wednesday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Products containing synthetic dyes also had a much higher average total sugar content compared to products without synthetic dyes, suggesting that companies are using synthetic food dyes to market sweet foods and beverages," lead researcher Elizabeth Dunford said in a journal news release. She's a nutrition consultant with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings Global School of Public Health. Red 40 is among eight synthetic dyes that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to remove from the American food supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in April it was moving to revoke authorization for the dyes Citrus Red 2 and Orange B, and would work with industry to eliminate Red 40, Green 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2 from the food supply by the end of 2026. "These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children's health and development," Kennedy said in an April news release. "That era is coming to an end." The new study shows how widespread these dyes have become at the supermarket, researchers said. For the study, researchers evaluated the ingredients in nearly 39,800 grocery store products produced by the top 25 U.S. food manufacturers, using a database that represents more than 80% of products sold in America. Children are more likely to be exposed to these dyes, results show. About 28% of products in the top five food categories marketed to children contained synthetic dyes, compared with 11% in the remaining categories. Those categories included confections, sugary beverages, ready-to-eat meals, breakfast cereals and baked goods. Sports drinks (79%), beverages made from concentrates (71%) and confections (54%) were the products most likely to contain synthetic dyes, researchers found. Carbonated beverages (30%), confections (26%) and sports drinks (14%) represented the lion's share of products containing synthetic dyes purchased by Americans. "We included sales data in our analysis of synthetic dye exposure, which may help to inform regulatory policies in this area," Dunford said. "Although certain food categories may contain more products with synthetic dyes, it is also important to consider what foods consumers are buying, as even food categories with smaller proportions of synthetic dyes may be purchased and consumed in significant amounts and thus contribute more to overall dietary intake of dyes," she added. On average, products with synthetic dyes also contained 141% more total sugar compared to offerings without the dyes, researchers said. But products with synthetic dyes had lower levels of sodium and saturated fat. "There are a number of policy options to limit dye exposure, including bans and warning labels," researcher Thomas Galligan said in a news release. He's principal scientist for food additives and supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C. "Companies can also voluntarily reduce the use of synthetic dyes in their products," he added. "Our results showing a range in companies' proportional use of dyes in many food categories suggests that reduction in use is readily feasible." More information The Center for Science in the Public Interest has more on the history of synthetic food dyes in the United States. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
10 Everyday Foods You'd Never Guess Contain Synthetic Dyes
Synthetic food dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 are found in nearly 24,000 U.S. food products, including unexpected items like yogurt, pickles, and oatmeal. These dyes, often used to enhance appearance, are petroleum-based and may pose health concerns like hyperactivity, allergic reactions, and gut issues. Experts and health officials are urging greater transparency and regulation, with growing momentum to phase out synthetic dyes and help consumers make more informed food human eye is a miraculous thing, especially when it helps us choose the foods we eat. As one 2016 study in the journal Brain and Cognition explains, trichromatic color vision — which gives us the ability to see the whole rainbow of colors — may have developed in primates as "an adaptation that facilitated the selection of more energy-rich (and likely red) fruits from amongst the dark green forest canopy."Humans have always loved bright, colorful foods, as they signal that they could be the food we need to survive. However, this lifestyle of "eating with our eyes" could finally be catching up to us, as the need for identifying a crispy red apple among the branches of a leafy green tree has been replaced by the choice of vibrant pink yogurts, impossibly yellow mustards, and candy that's bluer than the sky, thanks to artificial food dyes. And while you may think you know which foods contain artificial color, these dyes could be lurking in foods you'd never expect."According to NIQ data, Red Dye 40 is by far the most common food additive, found in nearly 24,000 food and beverage items in the U.S.," Sherry Frey, the vice president of Total Wellness at NielsenIQ, shared with Food & Wine. Frey noted that categories where synthetic dyes are most prevalent include candy, gum, mints, snacks, desserts, baking supplies, and beverages. However, consumers might be surprised to learn that these additives are also found in items that seem otherwise 'healthy' or simple."Here's what you need to know about dyes and some surprising foods you can find them in. Artificial food dyes are synthetic chemicals added to food to enhance or stabilize color. "Most artificially colored foods are colored with synthetic petroleum-based chemicals — called dyes — that do not occur in nature," according to the Center for Science in the Public late April, Robert Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced his department's plans to phase out petroleum-based artificial colors from the nation's food supply, including Red 40, Blue 1 and 2, Yellow 5 and 6, and Green 3. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration under the Biden administration had already banned Red 3 in January, but RFK Jr. noted they would like to move the timeline of that ban up.) RFK Jr. didn't go into specifics on how this will happen; however, it's a move that is receiving plenty of praise. Related: Are Natural Food Dyes Better? Experts Weigh In on the Pros and Cons "While the FDA considers approved dyes safe within regulated limits, emerging evidence continues to raise questions about hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions, and long-term exposure risks," Jonathan Poyourow, chef and professor at Johnson & Wales, who also specializes in nutrition, shared. You don't need to panic over every processed bite, but awareness is key. "This moment offers both a challenge and an opportunity," Ashley Cornell, the director of regulatory affairs and Policy at Canadian Health Food Association, added. "We have a chance to reexamine what we prioritize in our food, and to push for greater clarity, safety, and simplicity. The good news is that change is already happening. Bright, beautiful food can still delight the senses without compromising your well-being. When we know better, we can choose better." "You should definitely proceed with caution," Lindsay Malone, a nutrition instructor at Case Western Reserve University, shared, also citing studies that link food dyes to hyperactivity. "Food dyes are commonly in ultra-processed foods, which come with their own negative health baggage, including blood sugar instability, changes in the gut microbiome, and crowding out other healthy foods." However, Malone added, "My gut feeling is that dyes probably aren't the only problem here. Most people can limit their dye exposure by eating more whole, minimally processed foods at the grocery store. Related: This Food Safety Bill Would Require Food Companies to Fess Up About Food Additives "Think of these as single-ingredient foods or foods with very few ingredients. When you do eat processed food, choose the most simply prepared and avoid the dyes when you can." Still, nutritionist Seyma Turan agrees with Malone, adding, 'Consistent exposure — especially through ultra-processed foods — can increase cumulative health stress, particularly for those with gut issues, sensitivities, or autoimmune conditions.' It's not always easy to decipher what exactly is in our food. But if you're in the U.S., look for names like Red 40, Yellow 5, or Blue 1 on ingredient lists. Terms like 'artificial color' or 'color added' can also indicate synthetic dyes. Additionally, there are apps like Yuka and the Environmental Working Group's Food Scores that can help you decode ingredient lists. Want to avoid these dyes? You may already be aware of the common culprits, but here are 10 products containing food dyes that might surprise you. That vibrant green hue on bread and butter pickles is often thanks to Yellow 5. "A natural cucumber's color can fade during processing and storage," Cornell said. "To compensate, synthetic color is commonly added to intensify the green hue of shelf-stable pickles. This gives the illusion of freshness, even after long periods in brine or on store shelves." You may think you're getting a fruity punch by picking up fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, but be warned that those berry tones can come from Red 40 or Yellow 6 to make strawberry, peach, or cherry colors pop. "One that surprises many people is 'healthy-looking' items like plant-based yogurts or fruit juices — some still use colorants to appear fresher or more vibrant," Turan explained. The Environmental Working Group highlights another popular snack that may have added colors: Wasabi peas. The group explained that they "get their green from artificial dye. It's likely not from Green 3, which isn't widely used but is in the bill California lawmakers are considering. Instead, you can thank Blue 1 and Yellow 5 in combination — maybe with some Red 40 thrown in — for the leafy color, whether the peas are in a mix of snack items or on their own." Again, you may feel as though you're doing your best by avoiding brightly colored cake mixes, but even "plain" cakes can contain Yellow 5 to give the batter a richer and more buttery appearance. "Products marketed as creamy, white, or lightly colored often rely on additives to enhance appearance," Cornell said. "Common examples include vanilla yogurt, vanilla cake mix, mayonnaise, non-dairy creamers, marshmallows, light-colored soft drinks, powdered sugar, and frosting." Before you swap your cake mix for a different dessert, take a little time to look closely at those labels, too. Certain flavors of pudding, including butterscotch, can contain Yellow 6 and Yellow 5 to create a brighter, creamier-looking color. Before you top that salad, you may want to peek at the ingredients list on your dressing. According to Cornell, "Natural oils and acidic ingredients can cause color separation or fading, especially in light-exposed bottles. Synthetic colors are often added to standardize the look of creamy dressings, and maintain a consistent visually appealing color." That can include titanium dioxide, "used in white or light-colored dressings (like Caesar or ranch) to achieve opacity and brightness," or Yellow No. 5, which "adds a warm yellow hue and often used in French, honey mustard, or ranch dressing." Cornell added that Yellow No. 6 is often used to give that deep orange hue to Thousand Island dressing. Just like that flavored yogurt, anyone who wants to avoid added synthetic food coloring may want to forgo pre-packed flavored applesauce, particularly strawberry-flavored packets, which can contain Red 40 to enhance their appearance. During breakfast time, Poyourow says you should also check your instant oatmeal packet, "especially strawberry or maple-brown sugar," as it may contain dyes that signal flavor cues to your brain, including Red 40. "Food coloring helps replicate the look of ripe fruit, even when color from real fruit is minimal, is lost during cooking, or fades over time," Cornell said. Red No. 40, she added, is commonly used to "enhance or standardize color in strawberry, raspberry, or cherry spreads," while Yellow No. 6 is sometimes "added to orange marmalades, peach, or apricot jams to intensify the warm orange tone." According to Cornell, Red No. 3 is "occasionally used to deepen red in deli meats." The Environmental Working Group notes that it is possible the same ingredient could have been used to enhance the color of smoked salmon, including salmon cream cheese, too. Read the original article on Food & Wine
The Hill
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Hill
RFK Jr. wants to ban food dyes — but voluntarily
The dyes are heavily used in the U.S. and include Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1 and 2, and Green 3. Eliminating petroleum-based dyes is a key objective of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement, and it marks the first major effort to overhaul the nation's food supply. Kennedy has blamed artificial dyes for a host of health problems and has accused the food industry of poisoning the nation's children. In March, he met with the leaders of major food companies and demanded they eliminate artificial dyes within two years. But the effort is essentially voluntary. Kennedy said the agency has 'an understanding' with the food industry and has not outlined a regulatory or legislative pathway. He hinted at potential labels on foods to indicate the presence of petroleum-based food dyes. Remember: On Jan. 15, shortly before the second Trump administration began, the FDA revoked authorization for the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs. Manufacturers who use this dye, which the FDA noted isn't as widely used as other colorants, have until 2027 and 2028 to update their foods and ingested drugs respectively. Makary said Tuesday that he is requesting the FDA speed up this deadline. When asked if he credited the Biden administration for starting this initiative at the federal level to remove food dyes, Kennedy said he did, though added, 'I wish it hadn't taken him to one week before I came into office.' Pushback: Consumer advocacy groups have long said chemical additives serve little purpose in food additives. But some noted Kennedy's plan was short on details about how HHS would enforce compliance if food companies failed to remove the dyes by the end of 2026. Food companies and industry groups have pushed back on Kennedy's claims, though none on Tuesday outright slammed the effort. 'FDA and regulatory bodies around the world have deemed our products and ingredients safe, and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration and Congress on this issue,' Christopher Gindlesperger, senior vice president of public affairs and communications at the National Confectioners Association's said.
