RFK Jr. announces plan to ban 8 types of artificial colors by 2026
According to the Ministry of Health, eight types of artificial dyes will be banned from medicines and the public’s food supply by the end of 2026. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said:
Like Cheetos and cereal, the color of candy may fade quickly.
Mars Inc., the maker of bright candy-coated M&Ms, will remove two colors, blue and brown, from some of its candy mixes. Some of the new bags of candy will be color-free, at least for a while, as the company works to transition to products that don’t contain synthetic dyes.
Mars is introducing four products (M&Ms, Skittles, Starburst and Extra Gum) made without FD&C dyes (synthetic dyes regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, such as Red No. 40) that will initially be available exclusively on Amazon this summer, the company told USA TODAY in a statement.
Mars said these naturally colored bags are the only ones that don’t feature the full M&M rainbow, and traditional bags and other existing products will continue to be available in stores and online with no changes to the color combination. The company is working towards offering natural-colored M&Ms in every shade by 2028.
Why aren’t some M&M’s blue and brown?
The Wall Street Journal first reported the development on June 18, describing the challenges Mars faced in finding natural alternatives to achieve something similar to traditional blue and brown hues.
While colors like red and yellow were easy to recreate using ingredients like beets and turmeric, the brand’s iconic cerulean blues and browns are a little trickier to get right. Mars’ choice of spirulina, a type of algae, gave it a desirable appearance, but the factory machinery “gummed” it, creating problems with consistency and texture, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The brand is still working on developing alternatives to match the blue it first produced in 1995, and plans to share more “once we have identified a fully effective and scalable solution across our portfolio,” the company said.
Why are major food brands phasing out synthetic colors?
The move is part of a larger push launched by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the FDA as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
The FDA shared its intention to “phase out” petroleum-based synthetic dyes by the end of 2026 during an April 2025 press conference, during which President Kennedy called the additives “poison.” These dyes were previously allowed under FDA regulation and oversight.
Targeted additives include Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5, Yellow Dye 6, Blue Dye 1, Blue Dye 2, Green Dye 3, Citrus Red 2, and Orange B. President Kennedy said these dyes cause “behavioral problems in children,” among a host of health problems, but research linking dyes to direct human health effects is limited.
Studies have been conducted on the effects of commonly used synthetic food dyes, and some have been found to be associated with conditions such as cancer, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and organ damage in mice. But as USA TODAY previously reported, some experts believe more definitive research is needed.
The FDA’s page on food colors, last updated in 2023, states, “Although the combined scientific evidence indicates that most children consume foods containing color additives without adverse effects, there is also evidence to suggest that certain children may be sensitive to color additives.” “FDA will continue to evaluate emerging science to ensure the safety of color additives approved for use.”
Major brands have already started removing certain dyes.
Although the FDA announced in April 2025 that it would approve four new natural color additives and expedite the approval of many more, no agreement or legislation was passed to formally ban these substances. Instead, the Department of Health and Human Services and FDA have a “mutual understanding” with the food industry to phase out colorants, Kennedy said at the time.
Even without enforceable regulations, many brands have succumbed to public pressure for more “natural” food ingredients. Major companies such as PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, Kellogg, Campbell’s, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Hershey have committed to, or already phased out, certain dyes, and in some cases offer more subdued versions of snacks such as Doritos, Cheetos, and Trix cereal.
