One in five packaged foods and drinks sold in the United States contains synthetic dyes, study shows
Research in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reveals that synthetic dyes are particularly prevalent in products marketed to children
Elsevier
Philadelphia, June 25, 2025 –
As many as 19% of packaged foods and beverages sold by top US food manufacturers contain synthetic food dyes, according to new research evaluating the content of 39,763 American grocery store products. The findings of the study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (JAND), published by Elsevier, demonstrate the widespread prevalence of synthetic dyes in US foods and beverages, especially those marketed to children, and can help inform policymakers interested in taking legislative or regulatory action.
Food colors are an additive class used in packaged foods and beverages to increase visual attractiveness or to compensate for natural variations in product color. They can be derived from natural sources or chemically synthesized. Research over the past 40+ years has raised questions around the safety of one subcategory of food color additives used in the United States: synthetic food dyes.
Lead investigator Elizabeth Dunford, PhD, Department of Nutrition, Gillings Global School of Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Food Policy Division, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, says, “We assessed ingredient data for packaged foods and beverages produced by the top 25 US food manufacturers. A strength of our study is the use of Label Insight’s large database, which represents more than 80% of products sold in the US. We included sales data in our analysis of synthetic dye exposure, which may help to inform regulatory policies in this area. Although certain food categories may contain more products with synthetic dyes, it is also important to consider what foods consumers are buying, as even food categories with smaller proportions of synthetic dyes may be purchased and consumed in significant amounts and thus contribute more to overall dietary intake of dyes.”
Across all products, synthetic dyes were most commonly seen in sports drinks, beverage concentrates, and confectionery, although carbonated beverages contributed the largest proportion of purchased products containing synthetic dyes. The most common dye was Red 40, which was present in 14% of all products.
Dr. Dunford notes, “Products containing synthetic dyes also had a much higher average total sugar content compared to products without synthetic dyes, suggesting that companies are using synthetic food dyes to market sweet foods and beverages.”
Products in the top five food categories most often marketed to children – confectionery, sugar-sweetened beverages, ready meals, breakfast cereals, and baked goods like cakes, cookies, and pastries – were more likely to contain synthetic dyes. They were found to be present in 28% compared to just 11% of those in the remaining categories. In addition, the average sugar content of products containing synthetic dyes was 141% more than in those without the dyes (33.3g/100g versus 13.8g/100g).
Co-investigator Thomas Galligan, PhD, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC, concludes, “There are a number of policy options to limit dye exposure, including bans and warning labels. Companies can also voluntarily reduce the use of synthetic dyes in their products; our results showing a range in companies’ proportional use of dyes in many food categories suggests that reduction in use is readily feasible.”
Journal
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
All the Colors of the Rainbow: Synthetic Dyes in US Packaged Foods and Beverages in 2020
Article Publication Date
25-Jun-2025
One in five US foods and drinks contain synthetic dyes, study shows
They’re even more common in products marketed to children, despite health concerns
George Institute for Global Health
As many as 19% of packaged foods and beverages contain synthetic food dyes, according to new research evaluating the content of 39,763 US grocery store products. The findings were published today in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 1
Synthetic dyes are commonly used to make products more appealing, particularly those marketed to children, but a growing body of evidence suggests they may cause or worsen behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and inattention.2
Researchers at The George Institute for Global Health, the University of North Carolina and the Center for Science in the Public Interest assessed ingredient data for packaged foods and beverages produced by the top 25 US food manufacturers. They also looked specifically at the products in the top five food categories most often marketed to children – confectionery, sugar-sweetened beverages, ready meals, breakfast cereals, and baked goods like cakes, cookies and pastries.
Products in these categories were more likely to contain synthetic dyes – they were found to be present in 28% compared to just 11% of those in the remaining categories. In addition, the average sugar content of products containing synthetic dyes was 141% more than in those without the dyes (33.3g/100g versus 13.8g/100g).
Dr Elizabeth Dunford, Research Fellow at The George Institute, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina said that the continued presence of synthetic dyes in the food system was a cause for concern.
“Given the accumulation of evidence over the last 40 years pointing to the health harms of synthetic dyes, it’s disappointing to see that they’re still so prevalent in our food system, particularly in products that are designed to appeal to children,” she said.
“The high levels of sugar in these brightly colored products suggests that companies are using synthetic dyes to market sweet foods and beverages, but both ingredients are linked to poor health outcomes.”
Confectionery companies had the most products containing synthetic dyes, with Ferrero (60%) and Mars (52%) being the worst offenders. Over half (51%) of PepsiCo’s energy drinks contained synthetic dyes as well as 79% of all sports drinks, regardless of the manufacturer.
Synthetic food dyes are entirely unnecessary in the US food supply but progress towards removing them has been slow, according to Dr. Thomas Galligan, Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements at the Center for Science in the Public interest.
"The FDA recently asked the food industry to voluntarily phase synthetic dyes out of the food supply, but many companies had previously made promises to stop using them and then failed to keep those promises. So, it remains to be seen if food companies will comply with this new request.,” he said.
“If the FDA were to require warning labels on synthetically dyed foods, similar to the rule in place since 2010 in the European Union, there would be a much stronger incentive for industry to reformulate. Those warnings would also ensure consumers are better able to protect themselves from products sold by companies who choose not to phase dyes out entirely."
Dr. Dunford said it was encouraging to see that dozens of US states have now introduced bills taking aim at synthetic dyes this year, and the results of this research were likely to be immediately useful for policymakers as they progress this work.
“But until the regulatory process catches up with the science, parents and health-conscious consumers should always check the ingredients label for synthetic dyes and for high levels of added sugar. If a product contains either, you are better off not buying it, especially for your kids.”
References
- Dunford EK et al. “All the colors of the rainbow: Synthetic dyes in US packaged foods and beverages in 2020.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2025.05.007
- California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Health Effects Assessment: Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children. 2021. https://oehha.ca.gov/risk-assessment/report/health-effects-assessment-potential-neurobehavioral-effects-synthetic-food-dyes-children
Journal
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
All the Colors of the Rainbow: Synthetic Dyes in US Packaged Foods and Beverages in 2020
Article Publication Date
25-Jun-2025
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