FDA Dye Tracker Now Says End of 2027: Who's Done

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 13, 2026. On September 10, 2026, the FDA updated its public synthetic dye dashboard, and the page now gives the end of 2027 as the voluntary phaseout target for Yellow 5 and five other petroleum-derived dyes. Unlike the mandatory 2027 ban on Red 3, Yellow 5 remains lawful while major brands reformulate recipes using certified exempt natural colors.

Key takeaways

• Adjusted Phaseout Target: On September 10, 2026, the FDA revised its tracking dashboard, establishing December 31, 2027, as the voluntary benchmark for eliminating six major petroleum-derived synthetic dyes, including Yellow 5.
• Voluntary Cooperation vs Mandatory Revocation: Corporate commitments on Yellow 5 remain voluntary operational pledges, contrasting sharply with the formal revocation of FD&C Red No. 3, which carries an enforceable legal ban effective January 15, 2027.
• Divided Industry Progress: The FDA dashboard separates participants into those marked "Complete" across designated portfolios (such as Nestlé USA and Mars Inc.) and those marked "In progress" (such as Kraft Heinz and General Mills).
• Mandatory Label Disclosure: Under 21 CFR 74.705, Yellow 5 cannot be concealed under generic collective terms like "artificial color"; it must be explicitly declared by its specific name on all retail ingredient panels.

What happened to the FDA Yellow 5 phaseout timeline?

On September 10, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released an updated revision of its public dashboard, "Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum Based Food Dyes." The official portal documents collaborative timelines between federal regulators, consumer packaged goods manufacturers, major supermarket retailers, and trade groups to remove six certified synthetic dyes by the end of 2027. The targeted color additives comprise FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Blue No. 2, and FD&C Green No. 3.

This update builds upon an initial framework introduced in April 2025 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA, which had established an initial aspirational benchmark of December 31, 2026. The September 2026 dashboard now cites the end of 2027 instead. The FDA has not published a separate notice explaining the change, but the later date gives participating companies additional time to complete complex recipe reformulations, conduct real-time shelf-life and stability evaluations, and secure adequate supplies of certified exempt natural colorants.

Alongside voluntary tracking data, the FDA highlighted its distinct statutory regulatory pipeline. The agency confirmed that the administrative revocation of FD&C Red No. 3 was finalized on January 15, 2025, that the formal revocation of Orange B has concluded, and that the proposed rule to revoke Citrus Red 2 remains under active review.

What changed in federal food dye regulations?

The practical change is that the benchmark on the FDA page now reads end of 2027 rather than end of 2026. This adjustment reflects the logistical realities of enterprise-level reformulation across thousands of commercial stock-keeping units (SKUs).

It is critical to distinguish between voluntary industry commitments and binding regulatory prohibitions. The initiative to phase out Yellow 5 and the other five certified dyes operates purely through voluntary corporate pledges. There is currently no federal administrative rule or statutory statute prohibiting the interstate shipment or retail sale of Yellow 5 after 2027. In contrast, the agency's action on FD&C Red No. 3 represents a mandatory administrative revocation enacted under statutory color additive authorities, establishing a rigid compliance deadline of January 15, 2027, after which Red 3 cannot be legally added to food products distributed in the United States.

Other regulatory actions are moving through separate formal administrative channels. For example, the regulatory shift is detailed in our coverage of how the FDA revokes Orange B: the sausage-casing dye nobody used. While Orange B is fully revoked and Citrus Red 2 undergoes active rulemaking, Yellow 5 remains a lawful, approved color additive subject only to cooperative reduction goals.

Who is affected across food manufacturers and retailers?

The FDA dashboard monitors food corporations, fast-food operators, and trade associations based on their reformulation milestones. An entity categorized as "Complete" has reported finishing the pledge for the products it named, whereas "In progress" means the pledge is still underway. The statuses reflect company commitments that the FDA lists; they are not independent verification.

Major entities designated as Complete on the September 10, 2026 dashboard include:

• Nestlé USA
• Mars Inc.
• Campbell's
• Tyson Foods
• Target
• Sam's Club
• PepsiCo (Cheetos and Doritos product lines)
• PIM Brands
• Otis Spunkmeyer
• Aramark Student Nutrition
• In-N-Out Burger (detailed further in our analysis on why In-N-Out is on the FDA dye tracker: what changed)

Major entities designated as In progress include:

• General Mills
• Kraft Heinz
• Conagra Brands
• The Hershey Company
• The J.M. Smucker Company
• McCormick & Company
• McKee Foods
• Danone U.S.
• Grupo Bimbo
• WK Kellogg Co
• Utz Brands
• Walmart
• Save A Lot
• PepsiCo (Gatorade beverage portfolio)
• Amos Sweets
• American Bakers Association
• Consumer Brands Association

Independent testing continues to evaluate how widespread synthetic colorants remain across commercial foodservice environments, as highlighted when EWG checked 12 fast-food menus: dyes on all but two. In retail evaluations indexed in the EWG's Food Scores: YELLOW 5 database, thousands of everyday packaged grocery items across candy, beverage, and baked goods aisles continue to feature the additive.

What it means for shoppers navigating ingredient labels?

For consumers, the updated timeline indicates that mainstream grocery items, breakfast cereals, confections, sports beverages, and baked goods formulated with Yellow 5 will continue to appear on retail shelves through 2026 and 2027. Because company pledges are voluntary, consumers cannot presume a product is free of synthetic colorants solely based on brand participation in the tracker.

Under federal labeling requirements defined in 21 CFR 74.705, certified synthetic color additives cannot be masked under broad terms such as "artificial colors" or "color added." Food manufacturers must declare certified dyes by name on the ingredient panel:

• Look for "FD&C Yellow No. 5", "Yellow 5", or "Yellow 5 Lake" (the insoluble aluminum lake form used in low-moisture or fat-based coatings).
• In European products or direct imports, the identical chemical substance is designated as Tartrazine or listed by code E102.
• Reformulated products typically replace Yellow 5 with natural color alternatives exempt from certification, including turmeric oleoresin, beta-carotene, annatto extract, or paprika, as examined in our guide to the natural food colors the FDA approved to replace dyes.

Consumers should also recognize brand divergence within single corporations. While PepsiCo has achieved a "Complete" status for snack lines like Cheetos and Doritos, its Gatorade line remains categorized as "In progress."

The background and health evidence on Yellow 5?

Yellow 5 (tartrazine, CAS registry number 1934-21-0) is a synthetic monoazo dye derived from petroleum chemical precursors. As outlined by the International Association of Color Manufacturers, the FDA permanently listed Yellow 5 under 21 CFR Part 74 following the Color Additive Amendments of 1960, establishing an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 5.0 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.

International food safety bodies maintain differing safety parameters and labeling obligations. According to data from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, an ADI of 0 to 10 mg/kg body weight per day is established for the substance. In contrast, the European Food Safety Authority establishes an ADI of 7.5 mg/kg body weight per day and mandates a specific warning label on tartrazine-containing foods stating that the additive "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." Global regulatory bodies continue to track dietary intake patterns, as demonstrated in EFSA's first additive monitoring report: tartrazine exposure.

Following oral ingestion, Yellow 5 is metabolized by colonic microflora via azo reduction into sulfanilic acid and 1-(4-sulfophenyl)-3-carboxy-4-amino-5-pyrazolone derivatives. Emerging toxicological reviews, such as studies on the toxicological effects of tartrazine on intestinal microbiota and gut barrier function, examine cellular mechanisms and microbiome shifts under experimental conditions. In clinical settings, tartrazine has been associated with pseudoallergic responses, including acute urticaria, pruritus, and bronchospasm. Nevertheless, available scientific evidence cannot establish definitive risk across unstudied populations, nor can clinical data reliably predict which individuals will experience hypersensitivity reactions at typical dietary exposure levels.

Broader concerns regarding heavily formulated foods also intersect with changing regulatory frameworks, such as initiatives where the US to define 'ultra-processed food': what the proposal means.

What to watch next in food additive policy?

Several upcoming regulatory milestones and statutory timelines will influence synthetic dye usage in the food supply over the coming months:

• January 15, 2027: The formal, legally enforceable compliance deadline for the total removal of FD&C Red No. 3 from all food products and ingested drugs sold in interstate commerce.
• December 31, 2027: The revised target date for participating food brands, retailers, and trade groups to fulfill voluntary commitments to phase out Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3.
• State-Level Additive Bans: State legislatures are actively introducing individual additive restrictions that may establish mandatory compliance cutoffs ahead of federal timelines, tracked comprehensively in which food additives are banned in which US state (2026 tracker) and regional updates like potassium bromate bans: what states have done and when.
• Other Additive Re-Evaluations: Global and domestic scrutiny on other functional ingredients continues to evolve, including actions such as FDA reassesses ADA dough conditioner: what it means for bread, international reviews like sucralose re-evaluated: what EFSA's 2026 safety review found, cardiovascular assessments like the new xylitol heart study: what it does and does not show, and pediatric intake limits detailed in glycerol in slush drinks: EFSA sets a limit, UK says no under 7.