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Tag: food additives

  • Synthetic Food Dyes: What’s Being Phased Out and How to Avoid Them

    Synthetic Food Dyes: What’s Being Phased Out and How to Avoid Them

    Evidence: Moderate

    Key takeaways

    • The FDA has asked food companies to voluntarily remove six petroleum-based dyes: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3. The target has slipped from the end of 2026 to the end of 2027.
    • Red 3 is the one dye that is formally banned in food, with a January 2027 deadline.
    • Research links some synthetic dyes to behavior changes in some children, but past FDA reviews haven’t confirmed a causal link.
    • You can avoid them today by reading ingredient lists and choosing products colored with plant-based sources.

    Bright candies, sports drinks and cereals get their colors from synthetic food dyes, petroleum-based additives that have been used in American food for decades. In 2025, federal health officials announced a plan to phase them out. But “phase out” doesn’t mean what many people think, and most of these dyes are still in stores today.

    Here’s which dyes are affected, what the research actually shows, and how to avoid them now if you want to.

    Which food dyes are being phased out?

    In April 2025, the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services announced a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the U.S. food supply. The plan has three parts:

    • Red 3 (erythrosine): formally banned. The FDA revoked its authorization in January 2025; food makers have until January 2027 to remove it.
    • Citrus Red 2 and Orange B: two rarely used dyes the FDA moved to revoke.
    • The “big six”: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3. These are the dyes you’ll see most often on labels.

    Is it a ban? Not exactly

    This is the part most headlines miss. For the big six, the FDA is asking companies to stop using them. It’s a voluntary phase-out, not a legal ban, and there are no penalties for companies that don’t comply. The original goal was the end of 2026, but the FDA’s own tracker now lists the end of 2027, as the Center for Responsible Food Business reports.

    Many companies have pledged to switch. According to Consumer Reports, Campbell’s says it will stop producing foods and drinks with FD&C colors in its 2026 fiscal year, and Mars says it will offer options without certified colors starting in 2026. Some retailers, such as Target for its cereal aisle, have already finished. Others are still in progress.

    What does the research say about food dyes?

    Concerns about synthetic dyes focus mostly on children. Some studies have linked certain dyes to hyperactivity or attention problems in some kids, and Red 3 was banned under a law that prohibits additives found to cause cancer in animals; it caused cancer in laboratory rats. However, past FDA reviews have not confirmed that the big six dyes cause behavior problems in children in general.

    Europe has taken a middle path. Since 2010, foods sold in the EU containing several of these dyes have carried warning labels, which led many companies to switch to colors from beets, turmeric and other plants.

    Why we rated this “Moderate”: The regulatory facts are well documented. The health evidence is mixed: some studies suggest behavioral effects in some children, but regulators haven’t confirmed a causal link for the big six dyes. That’s why we rate this Moderate rather than Strong. How we rate evidence

    How to spot synthetic dyes on a label

    Check the ingredient list for any of these names:

    • Red 40, Red No. 40, FD&C Red No. 40, or Allura Red
    • Yellow 5 (tartrazine) or Yellow 6 (sunset yellow)
    • Blue 1 (brilliant blue) or Blue 2 (indigo carmine)
    • Green 3 (fast green)
    • Red 3 (erythrosine)
    • “Lake” versions, such as “Red 40 Lake,” which are the same dyes in a different form

    Plant-based colorings are usually listed by their source, such as beet juice, turmeric, paprika extract, spirulina or annatto. Learn more ways to read labels in our Ingredient Decoder.

    Cleaner swaps to try

    We may earn a commission if you buy through links in our product picks. It never affects our ratings.

    • Instead of brightly colored sports drinks: water with citrus, or drinks colored with fruit or vegetable juice
    • Instead of dyed breakfast cereals: cereals colored with fruit and vegetable concentrates, or plain oats with fruit
    • Instead of dyed candy: brands that color with plant sources like beet, spirulina and turmeric
    • For baking: plant-based food coloring kits for frosting and decorating

    The bottom line

    Synthetic food dyes aren’t gone yet. Except for Red 3, they’re still legal, and the voluntary phase-out now runs through 2027. The evidence on health effects is mixed, but if you’d rather avoid them, especially for kids, it’s easy: read the ingredient list and choose products colored with plant sources. Find more cleaner options in Swaps and see related reading on ultra-processed foods.

    Want one evidence-checked story and three easy swaps every week? Subscribe to our free newsletter.

    Sources

    1. Consumer Reports. One Year Later: Are Synthetic Dyes Still in Our Food?. 2026.
    2. Center for Responsible Food Business. Are Food Dyes Being Banned in the U.S.?. 2026.
    3. New Food Magazine. FDA announces plan to phase out synthetic food dyes. 2025.
    4. Xtalks. FDA to Phase Out Petroleum-Based Food Dyes in Favor of Natural Alternatives. 2025.
  • Ultra-Processed Foods: What the Biggest Review Yet Actually Found

    Ultra-Processed Foods: What the Biggest Review Yet Actually Found

    Evidence: Strong

    Key takeaways

    • A 2024 umbrella review in The BMJ pooled 45 analyses covering almost 10 million people.
    • Eating more ultra-processed foods was consistently linked to higher risk of heart-disease death, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, depression and early death.
    • These studies show strong associations, not absolute proof of cause, but a controlled trial also found ultra-processed diets lead people to eat more and gain weight.
    • You don’t need a perfect diet. Swapping the ultra-processed foods you eat most often is the most practical place to start.

    Ultra-processed foods make up a large share of what many Americans eat every day: packaged snacks, sugary cereals, soft drinks, frozen ready meals and fast food. For years researchers have suspected these foods are bad for health. In 2024, the largest review of the evidence so far put numbers on that suspicion, and the pattern was hard to ignore.

    Here’s what the researchers found, how strong the evidence really is, and what it means for your grocery cart.

    What are ultra-processed foods?

    Most food is processed in some way. Frozen vegetables, canned beans and plain yogurt are all processed, and that’s fine. Ultra-processed foods are different. Researchers commonly use a system called NOVA, which sorts foods into four groups by how much they’ve been industrially changed. Ultra-processed foods sit in the last group.

    They’re industrial formulations, typically made from extracted or modified ingredients like refined starches, sugars, oils and protein isolates, plus additives such as colors, emulsifiers, flavors and sweeteners. According to The BMJ, these products tend to be high in added sugar, fat and salt and low in vitamins and fiber.

    Common examples

    • Soft drinks and sweetened juice drinks
    • Packaged chips, cookies and snack cakes
    • Sugary breakfast cereals and cereal bars
    • Instant noodles and many frozen ready meals
    • Hot dogs, chicken nuggets and other reconstituted meats
    • Many flavored yogurts, packaged breads and pastries

    A quick rule of thumb: if the ingredient list includes things you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen, such as hydrogenated oils, maltodextrin, “natural flavors” or long chemical names, it’s probably ultra-processed. Our Ingredient Decoder breaks down what those names mean.

    What the biggest review found

    In February 2024, an international team published an umbrella review in The BMJ, one of the world’s leading medical journals. Instead of running one more study, they gathered 45 pooled analyses from 14 review articles, covering nearly 10 million participants, and graded how strong each link was.

    Higher intake of ultra-processed food was directly associated with 32 different health outcomes. The researchers rated the evidence as convincing for:

    • About a 50% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease
    • A 48–53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders
    • A 12% higher risk of type 2 diabetes

    They rated the evidence as highly suggestive for a 21% higher risk of death from any cause, a 40–66% higher risk of heart-disease-related death, obesity and sleep problems, and a 22% higher risk of depression.

    Notably, the review was not funded by companies involved in producing ultra-processed foods, according to the BMJ Group’s announcement.

    Why we rated this “Strong”: This is a large, peer-reviewed umbrella review in a top medical journal, with consistent results across many outcomes and millions of people, and a randomized trial (below) supports one likely mechanism. The limit: most of the underlying studies are observational, so they show associations rather than proof that ultra-processed food alone causes each outcome. How we rate evidence

    Does it prove ultra-processed foods cause harm?

    Not on its own, and the authors say so. Observational studies can’t rule out other factors. People who eat a lot of ultra-processed food may also sleep less, exercise less or have less access to fresh food. Some outside experts also noted that parts of the underlying research are weak.

    But there’s a reason researchers take the link seriously. In a tightly controlled 2019 trial at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, adults lived in a research clinic and ate either an ultra-processed diet or a minimally processed diet for two weeks each, eating as much as they wanted. On the ultra-processed diet, people ate roughly 500 more calories a day and gained weight. On the minimally processed diet, they lost weight. The meals offered were matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and salt.

    That doesn’t answer every question, but it shows one clear way these foods may affect health: they’re easy to overeat.

    What this means for your cart

    The goal isn’t zero. Ultra-processed foods are convenient and sometimes the only realistic option. The research points toward shifting the balance, especially for the foods you eat most often. Here’s a practical approach:

    1. Start with drinks. Swapping soda or sweetened drinks for water, sparkling water or unsweetened tea is one of the simplest, highest-impact changes.
    2. Fix your most frequent snack. Trade one daily packaged snack for fruit, nuts, plain yogurt or popcorn you make yourself.
    3. Read the ingredient list, not just the front of the box. Short lists with recognizable ingredients are a good sign. Our guide to decoding labels can help.
    4. Cook a few more meals from scratch. Even simple meals like eggs, rice and beans or a sheet-pan dinner are minimally processed.
    5. Keep easy staples on hand. Frozen vegetables, canned beans, oats and plain frozen fruit are processed, but not ultra-processed, and they make quick meals easier.
    Illustration: swap soda and chips for an apple, carrots and greens

    Cleaner swaps to try

    We may earn a commission if you buy through links in our product picks. It never affects our ratings.

    • Instead of flavored chips: air-popped popcorn with a little olive oil and salt
    • Instead of sweetened yogurt cups: plain yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit
    • Instead of sugary cereal: plain oats with cinnamon and fruit
    • Instead of soda: sparkling water with a squeeze of citrus

    More ideas in our Swaps section.

    The bottom line

    The largest review to date found consistent links between ultra-processed foods and dozens of health problems, from heart disease to anxiety, and a controlled trial suggests these foods make it easy to eat more than we need. You don’t need to be perfect. Focus on the ultra-processed foods you eat most often, swap a few for whole or minimally processed options, and build from there.

    Want one evidence-checked story and three easy swaps every week? Subscribe to our free newsletter.

    Sources

    1. Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384:e077310.
    2. BMJ Group. Consistent evidence links ultra-processed food to over 30 damaging health outcomes. February 2024.
    3. Hall KD, Ayuketah A, Brychta R, et al. Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism. 2019;30(1):67–77.