How Many Foods Are Poisoned by Color?

A Landmark Study Says it's 1 in 5

Jul 17, 2025

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A Quiet Menace Hiding in Plain Sight

Nearly 1 in 5 packaged food and drink products in the U.S.—from cereals to snacks to beverages—contains synthetic dyes linked in decades of research to neurobehavioral disorders, inflammation, and carcinogenic effects in animal models. A major new study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (June 2025), has pulled back the curtain on just how widespread these chemicals are in our food system—and the results are sobering.

This wasn’t a survey, opinion poll, or editorial. It was a comprehensive cross-sectional study using a massive database of 39,763 food and beverage products sold by the top 25 food manufacturers in the United States in 2020.

The goal? To document exactly how many of these products contain synthetic dyes, which dyes are most common, and how their nutritional profiles differ from dye-free products. The dataset came from Label Insight, a NielsenIQ company, and included ingredient labels, product categories, and nutrition facts panels.

What the Researchers Found

19% of all products—nearly 1 in 5—contained one or more synthetic dyes. Some products contained as many as seven.
The most common dye was Red No. 40, found in 14% of all products.
Products marketed to children were more likely to contain dyes: 28% of child-marketed foods had dyes, compared to 11% of other products.
These child-targeted dyed products were heavily sugar-laden, averaging 33.3 grams of total sugar per 100 grams, compared to 13.8 grams in dye-free equivalents—a 141% increase.
Products with synthetic dyes had slightly lower sodium and saturated fat, which may mask their overall unhealthiness if consumers focus only on those metrics.

Statistical analysis was conducted using Student’s t-tests, with a P-value threshold of <.001, indicating very high confidence that these results did not occur by chance.

So What Exactly Are These Synthetic Dyes?

Synthetic dyes are petroleum-derived chemicals added to processed foods to enhance visual appeal. They include:

FD&C Red No. 40 (Allura Red AC)
FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine)
FD&C Yellow No. 6 (Sunset Yellow FCF)
FD&C Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF)
FD&C Red No. 3 (Erythrosine)—recently banned in foods, effective 2027

These dyes serve no nutritional function. They exist purely to market products—especially to children—through color manipulation.

Animal toxicology studies have linked several of these dyes to:

DNA damage
Neuroinflammation
Colon inflammation
Disruption of tumor-suppressor pathways like p53

In humans, clinical and behavioral studies—particularly from Europe and California’s OEHHA—show that some dyes may exacerbate hyperactivity, attention problems, and mood instability in children.

Ultra-Processed, Ultra-Colored, Ultra-Harmful

The most troubling aspect is synergy: these dyes aren’t just found in isolation, but bundled into products that are already heavily processed and high in added sugar—two well-established contributors to obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular problems.

The researchers noted that these dyed products made up $46 billion in U.S. consumer sales in 2020—a staggering economic footprint for a class of unnecessary, potentially harmful ingredients.

A Regulatory Turning Point?

The study lands as the FDA, under Human Health and Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., prepares to phase out Red No. 3 in food by 2027 after acknowledging its carcinogenic potential in animal studies—a decision decades overdue.

But other synthetic dyes remain on shelves, despite persistent evidence of harm. Industry groups claim they are safe, but manufacturers in the EU have already reformulated to remove dyes due to stricter labeling laws.

In the U.S., public pressure is mounting:

California and New York are exploring statewide bans on additional dyes.
Major brands like Nestlé, General Mills, and Kraft have pledged to remove synthetic dyes by 2026–2027—though enforcement and transparency remain unclear.

What You Can Do Now

Until meaningful regulatory change takes place, it falls to us—scientists, educators, and informed citizens—to act:

Check ingredient lists for FD&C Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Red 3.
Avoid products marketed to children with bright colors and cartoon packaging—those are the worst offenders.
Choose naturally colored alternatives, like those using beet juice, spirulina, turmeric, or annatto.
Support legislation that mandates the removal of toxic additives and strengthens food labeling laws.

Closing Thoughts

This study offers powerful evidence that our food system remains flooded with synthetic chemicals that serve marketing goals—not health. It confirms what advocates have long suspected: that synthetic dyes are unnecessary, potentially harmful, and especially common in products designed for children.

If we are serious about protecting our kids and restoring trust in food science, we must demand real reform—not performative pledges.

And it starts with awareness.

Let’s remove the poison from the plate—one color at a time.

Environmental Toxins: Our Fight Against Poisons

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