Federal agencies plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the U.S. food supply.

“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said April 22 in a news release.

“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development,” Kennedy sais. 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.”

FDA is fast-tracking the review of calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, butterfly pea flower extract and other natural alternatives to synthetic food dyes. The agency is taking steps to issue guidance and provide regulatory flexibility to industries.

The FDA “is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” FDA commissioner Marty Makary said in the 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.”

FDA in partnership with the NIH Nutrition Regulatory Science and Research program will enhance nutrition and food-related research to better inform regulatory decisions, which will strengthen FDA’s ability to develop evidence-based food policies, support a healthier America and advance the priorities of the Make America Healthy Again Commission.

“The ingredients used in America’s food supply have been rigorously studied following an objective science- and risk-based evaluation process and have been demonstrated to be safe,” Consumer Brands Association CEO Melissa Hockstad said in a statement. “Removing these safe ingredients does not change the consumer packaged goods industry’s commitment to providing safe, affordable and convenient product choices to consumers. As we increase the use of alternative ingredients, food and beverage companies will not sacrifice science or the safety of our products.”

Consumer Brands “has long asked HHS and FDA to reestablish themselves as the country’s leading regulatory authority and we appreciate that the administration has reasserted their leadership in response to the myriad of state activity in the food regulation space,” she said. “A patchwork of differing laws creates confusion for consumers, limits access to everyday goods, deters innovation and increases costs at the grocery store.”

Separately, the International Dairy Foods Association on April 22 announced its Healthy Dairy in Schools Commitment, a voluntary pledge to eliminate by July 2026 or the start of the 2026-2027 school year the use of certified artificial colors in milk, cheese and yogurt products sold to K-12 schools for national school lunch and breakfast programs.

The commitment aims to eliminate Reds 3 and 40, Blues 1 and 2, Yellows 5 and 6 and Green 3.

The vast majority of dairy products sold to schools do not contain certified artificial colors, according to a Dairy Foods Association release.

All companies supporting the commitment pledge to discontinue products that contain them and reformulate products with natural ingredients.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the following FDA actions:

• Establish national standards and timeline for industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives;

• Initiate process to revoke authorization of synthetic food colorings Citrus Red. No. 2 and Orange B in coming months;

• Work with industry to eliminate by end of 2026 Food, Drug & Cosmetics Act Green No. 3 and FD&Cs Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6, and Blues 1 and 2;

• Authorize four new natural color additives in coming weeks, accelerate review and approval of others;

• Partner with National Institutes of Health to conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development; and

• Request companies remove FD&C 3 sooner than the previous 2027-28 deadline.