In a comprehensive new study assessing a massive 39,763 US packaged foods and drinks from the biggest 25 companies in the country, scientists found that almost 20% rely on synthetic food dyes to appeal to both children and adult consumers.
Researchers at The George Institute for Global Health, the University of North Carolina and the Center for Science in the Public Interest wanted to find out just how widespread the use of synthetic food dyes is, given that it's become a hot-button topic over the past six months. While their study focused on products available in 2020, it's the most comprehensive dataset available to date. And 2020 was "business as normal," before the pandemic interrupted supply chains.
The team analyzed the nutritional profile of the 39,763 products, with particular attention to confectionery, sugar-sweetened beverages, ready meals, breakfast cereals and baked goods – the categories of processed foods most likely to use synthetic dyes.
What they found was that 28% of products in these five categories had at least one synthetic food dye, compared to 11% in the foods that made up the rest of the near-40,000 that were assessed. And those with dyes had 141% more sugar added than those without synthetic coloring (33.3g/100g versus 13.8g/100g).
“Given the accumulation of evidence over the last 40 years pointing to the health harms of synthetic dyes, it’s disappointing to see that they’re still so prevalent in our food system, particularly in products that are designed to appeal to children," said Dr Elizabeth Dunford, Research Fellow at The George Institute.
Looking at companies independently, 60% of all Ferrero products contained synthetic dyes, just ahead of Mars (52%) and PepsiCo, where these colorings featured in 51% of its energy drinks. Overall, 79% of sports drinks produced by these 25 companies contained synthetic dyes.
While the study doesn't list the top 25 companies, it's not too difficult to confirm a few – PepsiCo, Nestlé USA, Kraft Heinz, Conagra Brands, Mars, Kellogg, Ferrero and The Hershey's Company – but that's by no means a definitive list. This month, several major manufacturers announced plans to phase out food dyes and coloring (FD&C) completely between 2026 and 2027. Those include Nestlé USA, Kraft Heinz, Conagra Brands and General Mills (which has a massive presence in breakfast cereals marketed to kids).
In June, some companies issued statements – which sound like they're penned from the same template – about their planned changes in the wake of rising pressure to ditch the dyes. A cynical observer would also see that the companies' newfound focus on public health comes at the same time that 25 US states have either banned, restricted or are considering blocking the sale of products with synthetic dyes.
“As a food company with a 150+ year heritage, we are continuously evolving our recipes, products, and portfolio to deliver superiority to consumers and customers,” said Pedro Navio, North America President at Kraft Heinz. “The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C colors across the remainder of our portfolio."
Then General Mills: “Across the long arc of our history, General Mills has moved quickly to meet evolving consumer needs, and reformulating our product portfolio to remove certified colors is yet another example,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of General Mills. “Today, the vast majority of our foods are made without certified colors and we’re working to ensure that will soon apply to our full portfolio. Knowing the trust families place in us, we are leading the way on removing certified colors in cereals and K-12 foods by next summer. We’re committed to continuing to make food that tastes great and is accessible to all."
And Conagra Brands, which will cut FD&C colors in products sold to K-12 schools some time in 2026-2027, and altogether by the end of 2027:
"Conagra Brands is known for innovating delicious, on-trend foods, and our transition away from FD&C colors is just one aspect of our broader strategy to modernize our portfolio to align with consumer preferences," said Tom McGough, EVP and COO of Conagra.
The pressure to ban these dyes is not new, with substantial research linking them to neurobehavioral issues in children. The dyes have been commonplace in processed foods since the 1960s, however, the turn of this century saw an uptick in scientific evidence implicating these additives in a range of health issues. Red 3 – which has been giving bright-crimson confectionary its color for decades – was put on notice by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January. However, in 2022 it was shown to cause cancer in male lab rats, and companies still have until January 15, 2027 to phase it out of products. (It's also worth noting that, to date, Red 3 has not been shown to have the same carcinogenic effect in humans.)
"The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) assessment does not establish a causal relationship between synthetic colors and negative health or behavior effects, and its conclusion that an association may exist are based on insufficient scientific evidence," the industry group said at the time.
Red 3 was, however, banned for use in cosmetics sold in the US in 1990. The following year, the International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM) hit back, refuting the cancer findings, claiming the ban was based on "insufficient evidence." Red 3 was one of the many dyes identified in this latest study that were found in 7,428 of the 39,763 products. The most common synthetic dye was Red 40, which the US Environmental Protection Agency lists as a colorant that "has been verified to be of low concern based on experimental and modeled data" and which appeared in 14% of the products. Next was Yellow 5 (11%), Blue 1 (11%), Blue 2 (3%), Red 3 (2%) and Green 3 (less than 1%).
Most of those have the same classification as Red 40, but Green 3 fared worse, having "met Safer Choice Criteria for its functional ingredient-class, but has some hazard profile issues." In April, the FDA announced plans to "phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply," revoking the authorization for use of Citrus Red 2 and Orange B, and eliminating Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2 by the end of 2026.
Are all dyes bad for us? Well, it's complicated. Even though they offer zero nutritional benefits, they do make food and drinks more visually appealing for the potential consumer. And food-makers and regulatory bodies frequently claim that "insufficient evidence" means there's no actual proof of their harm. Keep in mind that these 19% of products with dyes earned their producers US$47 billion in 2020 alone. Adding to this is that long-term research is severely lacking across the board.
“The FDA recently asked the food industry to voluntarily phase synthetic dyes out of the food supply, but many companies had previously made promises to stop using them and then failed to keep those promises," said Dr Thomas Galligan, Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "So, it remains to be seen if food companies will comply with this new request. If the FDA were to require warning labels on synthetically dyed foods, similar to the rule in place since 2010 in the European Union, there would be a much stronger incentive for industry to reformulate. Those warnings would also ensure consumers are better able to protect themselves from products sold by companies who choose not to phase dyes out entirely."
In 2010, in response to a growing body of evidence linking these colorings to neurobiological problems, the European Union introduced law that required companies to provide labels identifying following artificial colors: Tartrazine (E102), used for coloring sweets and fizzy drinks; Quinoline yellow (E104), a greenish yellow colorant of food; Sunset yellow (E110), used in fermented or heated food; Carminoisine (E122), a red colorant used in Jello-like products; Ponceau 4R (E124) used in sausages and drinks; and Allura red AC (E129) – also known as Red 40 – used in confectionary and beverages.
"Research over the past 40 or more years has raised questions around the safety of synthetic food dyes approved for use in foods and beverages in the United States, especially in relation to impacts on neurobehavior in some children," the researchers noted in the study. "Understanding the prevalence of synthetic dyes in US foods and beverages, especially those marketed to children, can help inform policy makers interested in taking legislative or regulatory action."
While the new study is not intended to fear-monger, it does highlight how the existing holes in scientific research – including but not limited to a lack of long-term investigation – coupled with corporate interest has made the US market lag behind other regions that have implemented, at the very least, transparency protocols for consumers.
“But until the regulatory process catches up with the science, parents and health-conscious consumers should always check the ingredients label for synthetic dyes and for high levels of added sugar," said Dunford. "If a product contains either, you are better off not buying it, especially for your kids."
The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
