FDA moves to remove two outdated food-color authorizations

On July 22, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced two separate actions involving petroleum-based color additives used in food. The agency issued a final order revoking the authorized use of Orange B and proposed revoking the authorization for Citrus Red No. 2.

The announcement matters to home cooks because food-color rules can affect ingredient labels, processed foods and the way shoppers interpret brightly colored products. It is also important to read the update precisely: one action is final, the other is still a proposal, and neither is a blanket recall of colored foods.

Two different regulatory steps

The FDA says Orange B’s authorized use in food has been abandoned by industry. After reviewing public comments on the proposed action, the agency said it did not receive information that changed that conclusion. The final order therefore removes the authorization for that use.

Citrus Red No. 2 is at an earlier stage. The FDA has proposed revoking its authorization because the agency has tentatively concluded that its use has also been abandoned by industry. The color has been authorized since 1959 for coloring the skins of mature oranges.

Orange B: the FDA has issued a final order revoking the authorized food use.
Citrus Red No. 2: the FDA has opened a proposal to revoke the authorization, but the decision is not final.
Public comments: comments on the Citrus Red No. 2 proposal are due by August 24, 2026.

This distinction is practical. A final order changes the regulatory status of the named use, while a proposed revocation begins a process in which the agency reviews public feedback before deciding whether to finalize the action.

What the announcement does not say

The FDA release does not announce a product recall, a finding that all petroleum-based colors are unsafe, or an instruction for households to discard foods simply because they contain a color additive. It also does not create a new cooking rule for recipes, baking temperatures or food storage.

The action applies to the U.S. federal regulatory system. It should not be read as an automatic change to food-color rules in other countries, where authorizations and labeling requirements may differ. For a specific product, the package label and the relevant food-safety authority remain the most useful sources.

The wider policy context is the FDA’s continuing work to review color-additive authorizations and track voluntary industry commitments to remove petroleum-based food dyes. The July announcement concerns two named authorizations; it does not establish that every food containing a synthetic color is affected.

Why the label still matters in the kitchen

The FDA explains that color additives can be used to offset natural color loss, correct variation, enhance an existing color or make a colorless food more visually distinctive. Some colors can also help consumers recognize a flavor or product type. Their presence is therefore about appearance and identification, not a reliable test of freshness, doneness or food safety.

For cooks who prefer to limit added colors, the concrete step is simple: check the ingredient list rather than judging a product by how vivid it looks. FDA rules require approved color additives to be used only under specified conditions, and certified colors undergo batch certification to check identity and specifications. A bright color alone does not tell you whether a food is safe or unsafe.

That approach is especially useful with products such as candies, drink mixes, cake decorations, frostings, sauces and packaged snacks, where color can be part of the product design. If an official recall or safety notice names a particular product, follow that notice directly. A general color preference is not a substitute for checking a product-specific alert.

What happens next

The FDA will accept comments on the proposed Citrus Red No. 2 revocation until August 24. After reviewing those comments, the agency says it will decide whether to finalize the proposal. Until that process is complete, the proposal should not be described as a completed ban.

The useful takeaway for everyday food decisions is therefore narrow. Orange B’s authorized food use has been revoked, Citrus Red No. 2 remains under proposal, and the announcement does not require a kitchen purge. Read labels when you want to know which colors a product contains, follow product-specific safety notices, and distinguish a regulatory proposal from a final order.