A Call to Ban Synthetic Food Dyes In America
For years bright colored food has been normalized in our food industry and everyday lives. Artificial food dyes are in everyday staples like cereal, candy, typical beverages, and so much more than you’d even imagine. We’ve known for decades that consuming artificial food colorings is a health concern.
Finally, in 2025, the U.S. is taking steps to begin removing synthetic dyes from our food. Lets talk about it.
This blog post and these suggested health books cannot be seen as professional medical advice, always consult your doctor before making lifestyle changes. See my full disclaimer for more.
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My favorite piece of information to share with people is “Food Dyes: A Rainbow Of Risks”. This has tons of important information and shocking results.
Small Wins in the U.S.
Red Dye 3
Red Dye 3 has been a high concern in the health industry dating back to the 1980s. For OVER 40 years America has still allowed red dye 3 in food, cosmetics, medications, and more. In 2023, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) officially recognized and added red dye 3 as a known cancer-causing carcinogen.
Just red dye 3 has been proven to cause thyroid cancer, thyroid tumors, and more in animal testing.
This specific ‘ban’ proposal is only for the state of California at this time. If you do your research, this isn’t the first time a ban like this has been proposed – So we will have to wait and see if anything really changes.
Better late than never though, right?
West Virginia Becomes First State to Pass A Statewide Ban On All Synthetic Dyes
West Virginia becomes the first state to pass a statewide ban on all synthetic dyes.
While this doesn’t go into effect until January 1st, 2028 this is a huge win! Unfortunately, removing toxic dyes from our food cannot just happen overnight. As great as that would be! We’ve got to celebrate all coming changes like this, though.
The bill in West Virginia to ban all synthetic dyes statewide will ban the following:
- Yellow #5
- Yellow #6
- Blue #1
- Blue #2
- Green #3
- Red #3
- Red #40
If you stand with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement this is exactly what we like to see.
I’ve always been the person in the grocery store reading every label (and usually putting items back on the shelf) before making any purchases. Since this bill is only in West Virginia and won’t be effective until 2028 (if you live there) here’s what you can do:
- Always read the ingredients list on the back of the product
- Ignore advertising claims on the front of products – the ‘natural’ label may still contain artificial dyes and toxic ingredients.
- Always read the FULL list of ingredients
- Look for certifications – organic products do not use artificial dyes. Research brands!
- E-mail favorite brands and companies, and ask them politely to remove dyes from their products. Share research with them you’ve found.
Utah Passed A Bill Banning Artificial Food Dyes From School Lunches
Utah passed a bill banning artificial food dyes from school lunches. This is another great start for U.S. schools. This is set to happen at the start of the 2026-2027 school year – that isn’t far away y’all.
Here is what is being banned in school lunches in the state of Utah:
- Red #3
- Red #40
- Yellow #5
- Yellow #6
- Blue #1
- Blue #2
- Green #3
- Potassium Bromate
- Propylparaben
Food dyes, especially red #40 have a HUGE impact on children and teens. It can cause ADHD, mood swings, and more. If you haven’t read “Food dyes: A Rainbow Of Risks,” there is a ton of good information in there. Including a lot of scientific research and animal testing results.
Dye-Free Brands
Which companies and brands do you support? Notice what you spend your money on, is it dye-free? Do the companies you purchase from support your non-toxic journey?
I never buy food with red dye 40 especially, but I try to avoid all of the dyes if possible. These days there are alternative brands and options. Which is perfect for non-toxic mamas and kids, because kids can still have fun snacks.
Here are some companies I love and support:
- Goodpop
- Lesser Evil
- YumEarth
- Partake
- Nature’s Bakery
- Annies Homegrown
- Bobo’s
- Made Good
- Free2B
- Solely
- Simple Mills
- Unreal
