Sponsors (4)
Official title: To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem adulterated food containing certain color additives, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 22, 2025 by Grace Meng · Last progress August 22, 2025
The bill reduces consumer (especially child) exposure to certain synthetic food color additives and clarifies regulatory standards, but it imposes reformulation, compliance and enforcement costs on manufacturers that may raise prices and limit product choices for consumers.
Children and other consumers will face reduced exposure to the listed synthetic food color additives beginning Jan 1, 2027, lowering potential health risks from those additives.
Food manufacturers and retailers gain clearer regulatory standards because the law explicitly designates specified colorants as unsafe, which can simplify compliance and enforcement expectations.
Many consumers—especially low-income households and families with children—could face higher food prices or reduced product availability as companies reformulate or discontinue products that used the banned colorants.
Manufacturers, particularly small food businesses, will likely incur costs to reformulate products, change labeling, and adjust supply chains to remove the banned color additives.
Firms that continue selling foods with the listed additives after the effective date face immediate enforcement risk such as product seizures or recalls, which could threaten small businesses' operations and cash flow.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Declares ten named food color additives unsafe and makes foods containing them adulterated under the FD&C Act, effective January 1, 2027.
Declares ten specified color additives unsafe for use in or on food and deems any food containing them to be adulterated under existing Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act authorities. The change takes effect January 1, 2027 and applies to the listed dyes by name and to substances substantially similar to them. The law directs the FDA's existing adulteration and color additive safety rules to treat these named dyes (including Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Titanium Dioxide, and others) as unsafe regardless of any current listing, certification, or exemption, meaning manufacturers and sellers must remove these additives from foods or face enforcement under the FD&C Act beginning on the effective date.