FDA relaxes rules for food labels that claim 'no artificial colors'

FDA eases rules for ‘no artificial colors’ label claims

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it is loosening restrictions on when food companies can use “no artificial colors” claims on product labels, saying Thursday it will let those claims appear as long as products are free of petroleum-based dyes. The agency said the new approach would allow companies to make the “no artificial colors” claim even when the foods contain dyes derived from natural sources such as plants.

Under the prior FDA standard, the agency had allowed the “no artificial colors” claim only for foods that had “no added color whatsoever,” according to an FDA statement accompanying the announcement.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agency’s move is intended to promote the administration’s aim of reducing synthetic dyes in the U.S. food supply. In a joint statement, Kennedy and Makary said the change would encourage companies to use natural rather than synthetic colors when they can make “no artificial colors” claims. Makary said in a statement that the agency was “taking away that hindrance and making it easier for companies to use these colors in the foods our families eat every day.”

The changes come as some food makers have already moved away from synthetic dyes. The FDA and the administration pointed to voluntary company actions including steps by PepsiCo and Nestlé, and they also cited state actions that ban artificial dyes in school meals.

Consumer industry advocates welcomed the shift. Consumer Brands, a trade group for packaged foods, said in a statement that “all natural ingredients should continue to follow a rigorous science and risk-based evaluation process.” Its senior vice president, Sarah Gallo, said in that statement that the FDA’s action was “a positive example of the FDA taking the lead on ingredient safety and transparency.”

But critics said the label wording could confuse consumers about what “artificial” means in practice. Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the label change could mislead consumers by allowing “no artificial colors” claims for color additives that are not petroleum-based certified colorants, including additives she said could be harmful.

Sorscher’s concern is tied to how the FDA will draw the line between “artificial” and other dye sources under the updated labeling permission. The FDA’s announcement also included other dye-related actions on Thursday, including the approval of a new natural dye, beetroot red, and an expanded use of spirulina extract, derived from algae and used to provide a blue hue in foods.

The agency said it already allows roughly three dozen natural dyes in food products. It also has banned a controversial dye known as Red No. 3 last year and proposed banning a rarely used hue, Orange B. In addition, the FDA said it would review the six remaining petroleum-based dyes frequently used in the U.S. food supply: Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2.

Health advocates have long called for removing artificial dyes from foods, citing inconclusive studies that they say link the dyes to neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues in some children. Other health experts have argued that bright synthetic colors play a role in ultraprocessed foods marketed to children, which they say can increase consumption of added sugar, fat and sodium and contribute to health problems.

Even with the new labeling allowance, the FDA’s own website message on Thursday continued to acknowledge limited evidence of harms from artificial colors, stating that “the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them.”