The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated a proposal to revoke the regulation that permits the use of Orange B, a petroleum-derived dye, as a colour additive in food products.
Its decision comes from the assessment that the use of Orange B has been effectively abandoned by the industry, rendering the current regulation redundant.
The FDA is implementing a tracker to monitor voluntary pledges by industries to remove petroleum-based food dyes.
The initiative targets products sold in schools by the start of the 2026 school year.
A broader implementation across all products is expected by 2027.
Separately, the FDA is reviewing six petroleum-based dyes frequently used in the food industry.
These include 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.
In a statement, the agency said: “The FDA continues to work proactively with the industry to advance efforts to facilitate the removal of these petroleum-based food dyes from the food supply.”
In a related development from August, the FDA expanded its review list of select chemicals in the food supply, advancing its post-market assessment efforts.
The updated list includes food ingredients, additives, substances, and contaminants under FDA review.
Newly added chemicals include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and azodicarbonamide (ADA), along with the six food dyes.
The FDA has also reviewed opiate alkaloids found on poppy seeds and plans to solicit data from stakeholders concerning BHA, BHT, and ADA.
Meanwhile, the regulator is also working to speed up its evaluation process for chemicals that were part of earlier updates, such as phthalates, propylparaben, and titanium dioxide.
