The FDA will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes used in Mountain Dew, Fruit Loops and more

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that it will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes by the end of next year.

“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a press conference, per CNBC.

The latest initiative is part of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ongoing efforts to “Make America Healthy Again.” At this time, the FDA and food companies — including PepsiCo, General Mills, Mars and WK Kellogg — don’t have a formal agreement to remove artificial dyes, but an “understanding,” according to Kennedy.

It’s unclear how the agency would enforce this ban if companies refuse to comply.

“There are a number of tools at our disposal,” Makary said. “I believe in love, let’s start in a friendly way and see if we can do this without any statutory or regulatory changes, but we are exploring every tool in the toolbox to make sure this gets done very quickly. And they want to do it — so why go down a complicated road with Congress?”

The FDA is in the process of establishing a “national standard” and a timeline for food companies to switch over from petroleum-based food dyes to natural alternatives, CNBC reported. The agency is also looking to “revoke authorization of synthetic food colorings, including those not in production, within the coming weeks,” the outlet specified.

The six dyes being targeted include Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2 and Green No. 3. Food companies are also being urged to phase out Red No. 3 by the end of new year, which is sooner than the 2027 to 2028 deadline previously required.

“For companies that are currently using petroleum-based red dye, try watermelon juice or beet juice,” Makary said. “For companies currently combining petroleum-based yellow chemical and red dyes together, try carrot juice.”