February 6, 2025 – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will scale back on enforcing food dye labeling, making it easier for food companies to advertise products as made with no artificial dyes.

On Thursday, the FDA sent a letter to food manufacturers clarifying it would exercise “enforcement discretion,” or would not take enforcement action, on items labeled as made without artificial colors. Currently, the definition of an artificial color does not distinguish between those made from natural sources and other color additives. This means a company could only claim its product had no artificial dyes if it had no colors added at all.

By relaxing the enforcement of this definition on labeling claims, the FDA argues it is making it easier for food manufacturers to transition to natural dyes. In April 2025, the Trump administration announced a plan to phase out all petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food system, in line with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.

The bulk of the initiative relies on voluntary commitments by food companies. Several companies have since said they would take steps to transition to natural dyes.

In July, Consumer Brands Association (CBA), which represents over 2,000 food companies, volunteered to aid in the phase-out of artificial dyes. But it has also urged the administration to boost access to natural color alternatives. The FDA’s letter is a positive step in supporting companies through this transition, Sarah Gallo, senior vice president at CBA, said in a statement.

“In order to continue delivering affordable, convenient and safe products to consumers, manufacturers need increased access to natural color alternatives,” Gallo said in a statement.
“This is a positive example of the FDA taking the lead on ingredient safety and transparency.”

But the Environmental Working Group, a public health organization, argued the move instead opens the door for food companies to falsely advertise their products as made without artificial dyes. “This latest retreat on synthetic food dye regulations is another broken promise from Secretary Kennedy and President Donald Trump,” Ken Cook, president and co-founder of EWG, said in a statement.

In Thursday’s announcement, the FDA, which is under Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services, said it approved beetroot red as a new natural color option and expanded the approved use of spirulina extract. The agency also sent a separate letter to food makers reminding them that all color additives—even those from natural sources like plants—must meet safety and purity standards. (Link to this post).

The post FDA Makes It Easier for Food Products To Be Labeled ‘No Artificial Dyes’ appeared first on Civil Eats.

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