The initial dataset comprised the top 25 US food and beverage manufacturers by 2020 sales, as identified by Dunford et al. (2025) using Euromonitor Passport data. Data on the prevalence of synthetic dyes in 2020 were drawn from the same study, which used Label Insight to compile ingredient information for each manufacturer’s packaged food and beverage products.

From this list, three adjustments were made:

• Schwan Food Company was excluded because 0% of its products contained synthetic dyes in 2020.
• Dean Food Company was excluded because it is no longer in operation.
• The Kellogg Company split into two separate entities—WK Kellogg Co and Kellanova—which are assessed separately in this analysis.

These adjustments resulted in a final dataset of 24 manufacturers.

To identify manufacturer commitments to remove synthetic dyes from food and beverage products, we conducted internet searches combining each company name with the search terms “synthetic dyes,” “food dyes,” “artificial dyes,” “titanium dioxide,” and “pledge” or “commitment.” We also reviewed manufacturer websites for relevant statements. Where available, links to pledges are included in the tracker.

Manufacturers were categorized based on the scope and clarity of their commitments:

• All products: pledged to remove FD&C dyes from all US food and beverage products.
• Some products: pledged to remove FD&C dyes from some, but not all, US food and beverage products.
• Unclear: company statements reference reducing or avoiding FD&C dyes but lack clarity on scope (which products are covered) and/or do not include a clear, time-bound commitment.
• No plan: have not publicly committed to removing FD&C dyes from any products.

Manufacturer commitments to phase out titanium dioxide—a color additive separate from FD&C dyes—are also included in the table using the same commitment categories.

In 2020, the manufacturers with the highest proportion of packaged food and beverage products containing synthetic dyes, along with each manufacturer’s commitment status to phase out synthetic dyes, were:

• Ferrero - 60% (No plan)
• Mars - 52% (No plan)
• McKee Foods Corp - 46% (No plan)
• Hershey - 33% (All products)
• Keurig Dr. Pepper - 31% (No plan)
• PepsiCo - 31% (Some products)

Across the 24 US food and beverage manufacturers assessed, commitments to eliminate synthetic food dyes varied widely:

• All products: 46% (n=11)
• Some products: 4% (n=1)
• Unclear: 17% (n=4)
• No plan: 33% (n=8)

Only one company, Tyson Foods, has committed to eliminating titanium dioxide from all food and beverage products.

These results will be updated periodically as new company commitments are announced.

FDA’s "understanding” with the food industry

The FDA must approve color additives before they can be used in the US. Following a petition by CSPI, the FDA banned Red 3 in January of 2025, during the final month of the Biden administration, a move that will go into effect in 2027 for food (the FDA, however, has requested that food companies remove Red 3 sooner than the deadline). In April 2025, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced that synthetic dyes would be phased out of the food supply by the end of 2026. This announcement was not a ban, and the remaining dyes continue to be approved for use. Instead, the FDA is urging the food industry to voluntarily phase out synthetic dyes. The agency has only moved to actually ban two dyes that are rarely used, Citrus Red 2 and Orange B, but to date has only taken action to propose the ban of Orange B. The agency has indicated the remaining dyes are “under review” for possible further action.

While some major brands have issued public commitments to remove synthetic dyes, the industry has a track record of broken promises when it comes to eliminating harmful additives. Campbell’s, General Mills, Mars, Mondelez, and Kellogg’s all failed to fulfill earlier pledges to phase out synthetic colors (see “Past commitments” table column for details). Given this track record, CSPI and other advocates are calling for stronger federal action and turning to state legislation to drive real change, rather than relying on voluntary industry efforts.

The food industry may be more motivated by the dozens of state laws that have emerged or passed in 2024 and 2025 banning or restricting synthetic dyes, which will force food companies to abandon synthetic dyes in at least some products in order to keep selling in those states.

California became the first state to ban synthetic dyes in school foods with the California School Food Safety Act, which was signed into law in the fall of 2024. In March 2025, nearly a month before the FDA announced its request to eliminate dyes, West Virginia passed a landmark bill banning seven synthetic dyes by January 1, 2028, with a ban on these dyes in K-12 school meals going into effect this year. Both Texas and Louisiana have passed bills requiring a warning label on food products that contain one or more of over 40 additives, including synthetic dyes. Other states have also passed bills that ban some or all of the seven synthetic dyes from K-12 school food: Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

In the wake of significant state-based legislation banning or restricting synthetic dyes, food companies may be forced to choose: reformulate products nationwide, reformulate selectively for markets with bans or restrictions, or keep using dyes and lose out on certain markets entirely.

Synthetic dyes

Synthetic dyes aren’t just unnecessary—they’re also harmful to certain children.

A comprehensive systematic review published in 2021 by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) found that the seven most widely used synthetic food dyes—Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3—can cause or exacerbate neurobehavioral problems, like hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and restlessness, in some children.

OEHHA also pointed out problems with the FDA’s approvals for these color additives. OEHHA determined that current levels of safe intake set by the FDA for synthetic food dyes may not sufficiently protect children because the studies FDA used to set these levels were not designed for—or even capable of—detecting neurobehavioral impacts.

Learn more about the health risks and history of synthetic dyes here.

Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide, a color additive used to whiten and brighten foods like dairy products and baked goods, has also been linked to health harms. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a 2021 safety review of titanium dioxide and concluded that the chemical was no longer considered safe as a food additive due to concerns that extremely small particles (nanoparticles) could accumulate in the body and damage DNA. On the basis of this review, the European Union banned titanium dioxide from food in 2022.

Although the FDA released a statement dismissing EFSA’s conclusions, the FDA has not rigorously reviewed the safety of titanium dioxide in food in a transparent way in decades. CSPI and other consumer advocates petitioned the FDA to ban titanium dioxide in 2023; the agency has yet to respond. Titanium dioxide does not always appear by name on ingredient lists because FDA allows companies to label it with the term “artificial color” or similarly vague terms, making it impossible for consumers to completely avoid eating it.

Despite evidence that titanium dioxide is a harmful color additive, the chemical is not included in the FDA’s voluntary request for companies to phase out synthetic dyes. If you’re concerned, join us in demanding that Big Dairy commit to eliminating titanium dioxide from dairy products.