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Key takeaways:

Mean sugar amounts were significantly higher in dyed products, especially those marketed to children.

Dyes are found in unexpected items, like hot dog buns and taco shells or nonfood products like toothpaste.

Synthetic dyes are present in 19% of U.S. food and beverage products from top manufacturers — mainly sweetened products that are often marketed to kids, according to a study published in Journey of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Considering that synthetic dyes can be hidden in unexpected products, it is important that physicians are aware of their ubiquitousness, according to study researcher Elizabeth K. Dunford, PhD, MPH, RNutr, research fellow for The George Institute for Global Health’s Food Policy Division and adjunct senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales Syndey.

Twenty-eight percent of products within the top five categories of those marketed to children had synthetic dyes. Image: Adobe Stock
“Primary care providers are likely a key person the average consumer goes to for health advice, so if they are recommending certain foods, drinks, medicines or vitamins to their patients, they need to be aware of the ingredients in these products,” Dunford told Healio.

Dunford and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis to determine the prevalence of synthetic dyes in all products from the top 25 U.S. manufacturers in 2020 (n = 39,763). They also looked for differences in the top five product categories for children compared with all other products.

Their results showed that 19% of food and beverage products contained synthetic dyes. Red 40 (14%), Yellow 5 (11%) and Blue 1 (11%) were the most common dyes.

Also, products containing dyes had a mean total sugar amount 141% higher than products without (33.3 g/100 g vs. 13.8 g/100 g; P < .001). Inversely, products with dyes contained lower sodium and saturated fat content than those without.

Dyes were most commonly found in the categories of sports drinks (79%), beverage concentrates (71%) and confectionaries (54%).

Children’s products were particularly impacted, with 28% of products within the top five categories marketed to children containing dyes compared with 11% of all other product categories (P < .001). Notably, children’s products containing dyes also had a mean total sugar amount 264% higher than products without (42.6 g/100 g vs. 11.7 g/100 g; P < .001).

Healio spoke with Dunford on the implications of this study and which ingredients physicians should look out for.

Healio: Why did you decide to do this research?

Dunford: It was driven by both a personal and professional curiosity. I am a mom of two young kids, and I definitely notice behavioral changes after my kids eat or drink sugary products colored with synthetic dyes. Also, examining the use of food additives and nutrient profiling are my main research areas, so those two things meshed together. Although I started working on this project prior to the current administration coming into office, it was also quite timely that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is very passionate about removing synthetic dyes from the U.S. food and beverage supply.

Healio: Did any of the findings surprise you?

Dunford: The findings were about what I expected. Nineteen percent is certainly a large proportion of products, and this is particularly seen when we restricted analysis to products in the top five categories marketed to children.

One thing that did surprise me was the presence of synthetic dyes in products I was not expecting, such as plain hot dog buns, taco shells, bagels and waffles. I think the average consumer would guess that brightly colored products such as Gatorade or soft drinks contained synthetic dyes, but not these more savory-based products.

Healio: Which dyes should physicians be most concerned about?

Dunford: All seven of the synthetic dyes commonly found in U.S. foods and beverages should be of concern: Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3. However, physicians should also be aware that these dyes are not only in foods and beverages. I took a walk down my local grocery store medicine and vitamin aisle and found so many products containing some of these dyes: Pepto Bismol, kids Benadryl, gummy vitamins and toothpastes. The list goes on. Physicians should carefully consider which products they are recommending to patients.

Healio: How might synthetic dyes affect kids? How can they affect adults?

Dunford: Many of these synthetic dyes have been linked to adverse behavioral outcomes, particularly in children. For clinicians, this might be an important consideration when dealing with parents of children with ADHD or who are experiencing some behavioral issues. Although the jury is still out on if there may not be a direct cause and effect, these dyes can certainly exacerbate behavioral issues.

Healio: How can physicians encourage parents to be more alert about the foods and drinks they purchase for their children?

Dunford: For parents who are concerned about these dyes, the good news is that there are not many ingredients to look out for compared with other additive types. Some dyes, like Red 3, are also going to be banned. So, physicians can help parents be aware of the names of these dyes on the ingredient lists so they can avoid them. You can even take it a step further by checking that some of these dyes also don’t appear in your medicine cabinet.

Healio: The HHS recently declared their intent to phase out synthetic dyes and introduce natural dyes to the U.S. food supply. If these changes take effect, how do you think it will impact future findings and outcomes?

Dunford: I am hopeful that the momentum of the Make America Healthy Again movement continues and companies really do follow through with these commitments to remove dyes. However, this is not the first time companies have promised to make changes and failed to do so. For example, 10 years ago Kellogg’s said they would remove artificial flavors and colors from all their products by the end of 2018, yet they are still there today.

Healio: What additional research would you like to see on this topic?

Dunford: I would love for scientific studies to be undertaken to examine the health effects of multiple synthetic dyes in combination with sugar on the human body. Studies on this do not exist and generally focus on one dye at a time. But, as we showed in our research, some products, like ice cream, contained up to seven different synthetic dyes, as well as added sugar.

Healio: Do you have anything else to add?

Dunford: My hope is that the new administration not only pushes industry to remove these dyes as they have outlined, but also monitors whether the removal actually takes place. Replicating the current research in a few years’ time would be a great place to start and show whether companies are following through with their promises.

Also, the removal of these dyes will not suddenly make a product healthy. We found in the research that most products with dyes were also 141% higher in sugar on average, so looking at the overall healthiness of the food is important.

For more information:
Elizabeth K. Dunford, PhD, MPH, RNutr, can be reached at edunford@georgeinstitute.org.au or on LinkedIn.

Sources/DisclosuresCollapse
Source: Dunford, EK. et al. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2025;doi:10.1016/j.jand.2025.05.007.
Disclosures: Dunford reports no relevant financial disclosures.

https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20250717/synthetic-dyes-found-in-19-of-us-foods-beverages-many-marketed-to-children