In a major announcement from the FDA and Health and Human Services, Commissioner Marty Makary revealed plans to phase out six petroleum-based food dyes from processed foods by the end of 2026. These synthetic food colors include:

• FD&C Red No. 40

• FD&C Yellow No. 5

• FD&C Yellow No. 6

• FD&C Blue No. 1

• FD&C Blue No. 2

• FD&C Green No. 3

These artificial colors are widely used to enhance the appearance of packaged foods—but where exactly are they hiding?

Using our proprietary WISEdata™ database, which analyzes over 650,000 food and beverage products sold in the U.S., we identified the categories with the highest rates of synthetic dye usage. Leading the list, unsurprisingly is non-chocolate candies, where nearly 70% contain artificial food coloring. Other top offenders include ready-to-eat cereals and powdered drink mixes, both hovering around 40%.

Encouragingly, our analysis showed 0% usage in baby foods, offering some relief to concerned parents.

Want deeper insights or category-specific reports? Contact us at WISEalliance@WISEcode.ai with your work email to access our data.

If you're a consumer and want to know what's in your food today, the WISEcode™ app lets you scan packaged foods to immediately identify potentially harmful ingredients - like artificial food colors.