Backing further from its pledge to ban artificial colors from food, Donald Trump’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it will relax labeling requirements to allow companies to state “no artificial colors” in products, even if they contain some dangerous ingredients like titanium dioxide.
The FDA announced in early February that it would allow food manufacturers to claim “no artificial colors” as long as the colors are not petroleum-based, but health experts say even some naturally-based additives pose health risks and the labeling misleads consumers.
The move comes after the agency began pressuring companies to phase out petroleum-based dyes by 2025, but has stopped short of enforcing the ban. Detoxification from the diet was a cornerstone of the great movement led by Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy is the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, which owns the FDA, and he was quick to color after taking office last year.
Although Kennedy framed it as an “understanding,” the FDA agreed to what critics labeled a “handshake” with Big Food to stop using dyes. Some candy manufacturers still refuse to completely stop using artificial colors.
The latest decision about labeling “causes confusion and allows some companies to mislead the public about the dyes in their foods,” said Thomas Galligan, chief scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which researches food dyes.
“It’s frustrating, especially when the rhetoric suggests they’re solving the problem, but in practice they’re allowing the industry to do what they want,” Galligan continued, adding that the rules are already so full of loopholes that companies have other ways to defraud consumers. He said prohibition is the most effective measure to protect consumers.
Kennedy defended the move in a statement: “This is real progress. We’re making it easier for companies to move away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives. This momentum advances our broader effort to get Americans to eat real food and make America healthy again.”
Consumer Brands, a trade group for packaged foods, praised the move, saying “the FDA is leading the way on ingredient safety and transparency.”
Kelly Ryerson, an attorney and author, praised the FDA for taking the first step to pressure the industry to move away from dyes, calling it “enormous.” But she told the Guardian she was concerned about confusion over labelling, and added: “I want to ban these things forever.”
Synthetic dyes have been linked to ADHD and hyperactivity in children and other health risks. Before Kennedy took over the agency, the FDA banned Red Dye 3 in January 2025 because studies found it was likely to cause cancer in laboratory rats.
West Virginia has since banned some synthetic dyes, and Texas has passed a law requiring warning labels. More than 25 states are considering new bans on synthetic food dyes and other food chemical additives.
Naturally derived dyes include beet juice, beet powder, algae and butterfly pea flower. While most naturally derived dyes are generally safer than petroleum-based ones, some can be dangerous.
“As a basic concept, natural is not safe,” says Galligan, which contradicts the expectations of the average consumer.
Lead and arsenic, two of the planet’s most toxic substances, occur naturally, yet they are not used in food coloring.
In natural dyes used in foods, titanium dioxide nanoparticles are added to brighten whites or other dyes effectively. The toxin has been banned for use in food in the European Union because regulators have been unable to confirm its safety and have raised concerns that it could damage genes.
It is a potential carcinogen that accumulates in organs and is linked to neurotoxicity, intestinal inflammation, reproductive damage, birth defects and other health effects.
Titanium dioxide is widely used in the US food system. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization, has found about 2,000 products in which the chemical can be used, but some estimates are as high as 11,000. The largest subgroups include candy, cakes, cookies, and desserts or dessert toppings.
Five major US public health advocacy groups call for withdrawal of approval of titanium dioxide for use in food The FDA has so far ignored a petition filed in 2023.
Meanwhile, naturally derived caramel color contains 4-MEI, a contaminant linked to cancer produced during processing. Food companies claim that products containing these ingredients contain “no artificial flavors.”
EWG co-founder Ken Cook said the change ultimately represents “another broken promise” from Kennedy and Trump.
“They pledged a total ban on dangerous food chemical additives to the Make America Healthy Again base,” Cook said.
“Instead, states struggled to protect families while Kennedy settled for handshake deals with big food and chemical companies — deals with no real accountability and no guarantee they would be honored.”
