Food dye promises stall
- Consumer Reports says major food companies have made little voluntary progress removing synthetic dyes. - Firms mentioned include Coca‑Cola, Mondelez, and Unilever, whose promises show limited follow-through. - The slow market response came after RFK Jr. urged voluntary phase-outs during congressional hearings, per Food Safety News and NPR. (foodsafetynews.com, npr.org)
A year after federal officials asked food makers to drop synthetic dyes, Consumer Reports says several big brands still have not made concrete commitments. (consumerreports.org) Consumer Reports said on April 21 that Coca-Cola, Mondelez and Unilever had not made firm phaseout pledges, even as other companies posted timelines on the Food and Drug Administration’s industry tracker. The group also said no drug companies had publicly pledged to remove the dyes from medications. (consumerreports.org, fda.gov) The federal push began on April 22, 2025, when the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration said they would rely on voluntary industry action to eliminate six certified dyes from food by the end of 2026. The agencies also said they would move to revoke approvals for Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2. (hhs.gov, fda.gov) The Food and Drug Administration’s current tracker now says it is working with industry to remove those six dyes by the end of 2027, not 2026. Consumer Reports said the agency still has not used its authority to revoke approvals for the six remaining widely used dyes. (fda.gov, consumerreports.org) Consumer Reports tied its renewed pressure campaign to public opinion and state action. In a March 2026 survey of 2,212 U.S. adults, it found 72% were concerned about synthetic dyes in food and 66% said companies should be required to stop using them. (consumerreports.org) The group is also backing state legislation as the federal timetable slips. In New York, the Legislature passed the Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act on April 21, 2026, requiring companies to report certain self-designated “generally recognized as safe” ingredients to state regulators for public disclosure, and the bill now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul. (nysenate.gov, foodsafetynews.com) Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the voluntary approach again in congressional budget hearings this week, as lawmakers pressed him on vaccines, Medicaid and agency policy. NPR reported that the food-dye phaseout remained one of the administration’s signature food-policy moves. (wcbe.org) Companies that have moved gave regulators more specific dates. The Food and Drug Administration tracker lists commitments from companies including Campbell’s, Conagra and others, while Mondelez has separately said it is working on a switch to natural colors without giving a timetable. (fda.gov, globalbankingandfinance.com) Consumer Reports is now asking the Food and Drug Administration to stop waiting for voluntary pledges and issue an enforceable ban. For now, the gap between the federal promise and the market response is still measured in missing deadlines and missing commitments. (consumerreports.org, consumerreports.org)
