To maintain your health and wellness, stay informed, pay attention to the foods you put in your body, and aim to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
People often say a healthy diet involves trying to “eat the rainbow.” The idea is that a plate full of colors is complete with fruits, vegetables and other whole foods like red apples, green broccoli, orange carrots, and purple eggplant.
But what about colors that are added to our foods in the form of artificial food dyes? Think about foods like blue frosting or red gummies. Where does this color come from, and is it safe or healthy?
Learn more about artificial food dyes, their potential effect on your health, and what steps you can take to avoid them in your diet.
What are food dyes?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), food dyes, or color additives, are used to boost or change the color of our food and drinks. They’re often used to offset color loss, enhance natural colors, or provide color to “colorless” products.
Food dyes can be split into two main categories: natural and artificial. Natural food dyes are usually made from plant-based or natural sources including fruit and vegetable extracts and spices. Blueberry juice and beet powder are examples of natural ways to dye a product.
Artificial food dyes are made from chemicals and are often petroleum-based. Ingredients like “Red No. 40,” “Blue No. 1,” or “Yellow No. 5,” are examples of artificial food dyes.
What foods contain artificial food dyes?
Food dyes are included in many of the foods we eat, such as these processed foods:
- Cakes and frostings
- Cereals
- Candy and gum
- Yogurt
- Ice cream and popsicles
- Protein powders
- Sports or energy drinks
- Sodas
- Chips and salty snacks
This list gives you a clearer picture of how many foods contain dyes, like a bright blue sports drink, the rainbow-colored marshmallows in your child’s cereal, brightly colored candies handed out on Halloween, or the pink frosting you use to ice your cookies.
What are the health risks related to food dyes?
Why does this matter? Is it harmful to your health if your yogurt is bright red or your energy drink is orange? The answer about the health effects or risks related to food dyes is still evolving.
To start, here is some background on how food dyes are approved for use. Food dyes or color additives have to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in foods and drinks. The FDA’s regulations require evidence that a color additive is safe at its intended level of use before it may be added to foods. Since no one can ever be absolutely certain of the absence of any risk, the FDA approves the color additive if there is “reasonable certainty of no harm to consumers.”
What is the FDA doing about artificial dyes?
In 2025, the FDA announced plans to transition from artificial food dyes to natural dyes with a few specific actions, including initiating the process to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings–Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B–within this year, and phasing out the remaining six petroleum-based synthetic food dyes by the end of 2026. These dyes include Blue No. 1 and 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Yellow No. 6.
These changes sought by the FDA are related to what it calls the “measurable dangers” of these dyes. Here is some information related to the health concerns being studied:
- Many high-quality studies show a link between artificial dyes and neurobehavioral effects, particularly hyperactivity and attention problems in children. Tartrazine (Yellow No. 5), Allura Red (Red No. 40), Sunset Yellow (Yellow No. 6), and Erythrosine (Red No. 3) have been most strongly implicated in neurobehavioral effects, particularly hyperactivity and attention problems in children.
- Two studies found that being exposed to high amounts of Red No. 3 dye led to tumors in male lab rats, which led the FDA to announce that Red No. 3 will lose its authorization. Several synthetic dyes, such as Allura Red (Red No. 40), Blue 1, Blue 2, Citrus Red 2, and Tartrazine (Yellow No. 5), have demonstrated carcinogenic, genotoxic, and cytotoxic effects in animals, although there is insufficient high-quality human data to establish a direct causal relationship between artificial food dye consumption and cancer risk in humans.
- Foods that include dye are often ultra-processed and can be high in saturated fat, added sugars, and salt. This can lead to other chronic health conditions like heart disease.
- Some states, such as California, Utah, Arizona, and Virginia, have banned synthetic dyes from school foods. West Virginia will ban synthetic dyes from all foods sold starting in 2028.
What Steps Can I Take to Stay Healthy?
- Follow the research. As the FDA continues to update its recommendations, it is important to pay attention to the agency’s actions. Check its website, read up on the health studies related to food dyes, and make informed decisions that work best for you and your family. This is especially important if your family includes a child or teen with ADHD.
- Read your food labels.
Take time to determine what foods you currently buy that contain artificial dyes and look for healthier alternatives. If you read a food’s ingredients list, aim for foods that use natural food coloring from fruit and vegetable extracts and steer clear of artificial dyes as often as possible. For more information on how to read a food label, check out Healthy Homefront’s article Making Sense of Food Labels. - Limit your intake of ultra-processed foods. While the research is still evolving on food dyes, it’s very clear that ultra-processed foods aren’t good for your health. While ultra-processed foods often contain food dyes, they also have high amounts of sugar, sodium, and fat, and have a low nutritional value. Whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, are better for your health and can reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and more.
- Get support. Veterans, Service members, and their families have access to a wide variety of resources that can help them on their path to health and wellness. Check out the resources below.
Resources
- TRICARE covers a limited set of services from a nutritionist or registered dietitian, including medical nutritional therapy or counseling, diabetes self-management training, and medically necessary treatment for conditions like obesity. Many military hospitals also have nutrition clinics where you can attend nutrition classes or make an appointment with a registered dietitian. Learn more about how a dietitian can help you read food labels, eat healthier, and stay mission ready.
- Military OneSource offers health and wellness coaching sessions for Service members and their immediate families, focusing on topics like eating better, exercise, and more.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs provides Veterans with access to registered dietitian nutritionists who can provide evidence-based nutrition guidance and help you develop a nutrition plan. The Healthy Teaching Kitchen can teach you how to make healthy food choices through hands-on nutrition lessons and cooking demonstrations.
To maintain your health and wellness, stay informed, pay attention to the foods you put in your body, and aim to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.