As you know, the FDA recently announced a plan to phase out eight different food dyes in the USA.
These dyes are surprisingly common, so I wanted to highlight some of the really common foods that have these dyes.
Good to have all the info at your fingertips, right?
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Here’s the full list of newly-banned dyes:
– Citrus red 2
– Orange B
– Red 3
– Red 40
– Yellow 5
– Yellow 6
– Blue 1
– Blue 2
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A couple notes:
This is a voluntary ban – the government isn’t enforcing compliance (at least not yet), it’s all dependent on the industry voluntarily removing these ingredients.
Generally, the industry’s response has been to shrug and say “sure.”
(One of the big exceptions? M&Ms.)
And the hope is to phase these dyes out by the end of next year, so everyone’s got a while to make it happen.
And one thing will likely help…
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The FDA is fast-tracking research on different dyes (especially from non-synthetic, i.e. “natural” sources) – and three were recently approved:
– Galdieria extract blue
– Butterfly pea flower extract
– Calcium phosphate
As you can imagine, those will be immediately put to use closing some of these gaps!
Meanwhile, here are the staples that will likely be seeing some recipe changes in the near future:
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Loads of chips contain these dyes. Including some big favorites like…
– Doritos
– Cheetos
– Many flavors of Pringles
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Many cereals contain the newly-banned dyes. Just a few examples:
– Cap’n Crunch berry flavors
– Trix
– Lucky Charms
– Fruity Pebbles
Mostly these contain Yellow 5 and 6, but some have Blue 1 and Red 40 as well. There’s definitely going to be some cleanup needed!
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The fruit-flavored Jell-Os which have those bright (borderline neon) colors?
Yeah, they often have Red 40, Yellow 5, and/or Blue 1. So they’re going to need to see some changes.
Same with a lot of your instant puddings.
(Here’s a more complete list.)
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Many cake and cookie mixes have yellow and green hues containing Yellow 5.
A bigger impact: A lot of your “Funfetti” style frostings, which usually have Blue 1 and 2, Yellow 5 and 6, and sometimes even Red 40.
That’s where all the bright colors come from! So, fair to say there’ll need to be some changes here too.
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Think about brightly-colored candies. Your mind probably immediately turns to M&Ms and Skittles, right?
Yep, those colors contain many of these banned dyes. A few other candies:
– Many gummies
– Jolly Ranchers
– Airheads
– Jelly beans
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Many storebought salad dressings have Yellow 5 or Blue 1.
Same with some of your French dressings.
And have you ever wondered why a lot of your pickle relishes are so bright? It’s usually in part thanks to Yellow 5.
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We’ll have to see changes to some very popular sodas, including:
– Mt. Dew (probably not shocking – so neon!)
– Some Fanta
– Sunkist
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We’ll be seeing changes to a ton of energy drinks, like:
– Some Gatorade flavors
– Many energy drinks
– A lot of your powdered drink mixes (including Kool-Aid – again, bright colors!)
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That bright yellow color for instant noodles is usually due to Yellow 5, so a lot of your Ramen noodle cups are probably going to see some recipe changes in the coming months.
And of course…
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Hot dogs are one of the most delightfully fake foods out there in my opinion – they’re weirdly enjoyable to eat, but we all know they’ve got lots of problems.
Add it to the list: Their casings are usually colored with Orange B. Hopefully we’ll see some changes there, too!
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So there you have it – ten common grocery store staples with ingredients that are now banned thanks to work from RFK Jr. and the FDA.
I don’t know about you, but a LOT of these are in my pantry for sure.
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The big question:
Does this change what you’re eating now?
Let us know in the comments!
And of course…
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Follow The Coconut Mama for more coverage on this and other important topics!
• For fun lists, healthy living tips, and bar conversation topics, make sure to follow The Coconut Mama. Click here to access The Coconut Mama’s profile page and be sure to hit the Follow button here or at the top of this article!
• Have feedback? Add a comment below!
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