Statement from Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE, on FDA Announcement to Phase Out Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes from Nation’s Food Supply

"We have no objection to the removal of petroleum-based food dyes (FD&C dyes) from the U.S. food supply (and from drugs) but are concerned about the food allergy community's already limited options being further impacted by this news. As industry innovates to comply, there is a likely turn to concentrating color compounds from plants, leaves, fruits, and vegetables and it isn't known whether all food allergen protein would be removed in the manufacture of such coloring options. Plant and animal color sources that are currently widely used today such as annatto (orange) and carmine (red) elicit food allergy reactions and anaphylaxis. The potential introduction of red from cherries or orange from cantaloupe, as examples, could expand those concerns. For the more than 33 million people in the U.S. with food allergy, we hope to see full transparency in food labeling of the source of new natural food colors, and not grouping as “food or natural food colors,” as a very important accompanying step to this FDA decision."