One in Five Packaged Foods and Drinks Sold in the United States Contains Synthetic Dyes, Study Shows

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 opens in new tab/window in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics opens in new tab/window (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.”

Notes for editors

The article is “All the Colors of the Rainbow: Synthetic Dyes in US Packaged Foods and Beverages in 2020,” by Elizabeth K. Dunford, PhD; Thomas M. Galligan, PhD; Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD; and Aviva A. Musicus, ScD (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.225.05.007 opens in new tab/window). It appears online in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, published by Elsevier.

The article is openly available for 90 days at https://www.jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(25)00166-2/fulltext opens in new tab/window.

Full text of the article and additional information are also available to credentialed journalists upon request. Contact Eileen Leahy at +1 732 406 1313; [email protected] opens in new tab/window, or Mike Zande, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, at +1 312 899 4734; [email protected] opens in new tab/window. Information specifically for journalists is located at https://www.jandonline.org/content/media opens in new tab/window.

Journalists who wish to interview the authors should contact Tina Wall, Head of Media, Communications, The George Institute for Global Health, at [email protected] opens in new tab/window.

About the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

The official journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics opens in new tab/window, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the premier source for the practice and science of food, nutrition, and dietetics. The monthly, peer-reviewed journal presents original articles prepared by scholars and practitioners and is the most widely read professional publication in the field. The Journal focuses on advancing professional knowledge across the range of research and practice issues such as: nutritional science, medical nutrition therapy, public health nutrition, food science and biotechnology, food service systems, leadership and management, and dietetics education. www.jandonline.org opens in new tab/window

About the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Representing more than 112,000 credentialed nutrition and dietetics practitioners, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education, and advocacy. Visit the Academy at www.eatright.org opens in new tab/window.

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