HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — As the push to Make America Healthy Again continues, so is the push to remove artificial food dyes from products.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration just announced new measures to make this happen, but one Alabama business is already ahead of the curve.
“We’ve gotten rid of Red 40,” said Owner and CEO of Mason-Dixon Bakery & Bistro, Rachel Bryars.
The fully gluten-free spot also offers a wide range of vegan options, and Bryers says she’s excited that it is now the first bakery in Alabama to cut out artificial food dyes.
“It’s healthier, it’s cleaner, and your child can eat a blue cupcake and not be bouncing off of the walls,” she said.
She said they are using several natural alternatives.
“Instead of blue artificial dye, we’re using blue spirulina powder,” Bryars said. “For yellow, we use turmeric spice, for pink, we’ve got the organic beet juice.”
She explained that by mixing those natural-based dyes, they can also create many other colors.
This move for Mason-Dixon comes ahead of the plan, recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes.
According to a statement released on April 22, 2025, the FDA is taking the following actions:
- Establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives.
- Initiating the process to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B—within the coming months.
- Working with industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes—FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2—from the food supply by the end of next year.
- Authorizing four new natural color additives in the coming weeks, while also accelerating the review and approval of others.
- Partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development.
- Requesting food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously required.
Bryars told News 19 that they’ve already been working on removing artificial food dyes for months.
“We did this ahead of the FDA saying that they wanted to phase it out and I’m just very proud to say that we’re already there,” she said.
Bryars said that while her business is already on the path forward, she anticipates that there will be some challenges as both small businesses and the industry start to adapt.
“It’s going to be hard, no doubt,” she said.
Bryars said that natural-based dyes are much more expensive, which is challenging in an industry that already has thin margins.
“Does it cut into the margin? It certainly does,” she said. “But I think in the long run, it’s truly worth it.”
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