Beginning in January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began implementing measures to phase out artificial food dyes and approve natural alternatives more quickly. The new requirements will take effect in 2027, though some companies and trade groups are already making voluntary changes ahead of schedule.
These regulatory shifts have led to questions about who currently buys products with artificial dyes and how large the affected market is. RTI International addressed these questions by analyzing retail scanner data and household purchase information to provide a baseline for understanding current trends as the marketplace evolves.
RTI’s Scanner Team has used retail scanner data for over twenty years across several consumer product categories such as tobacco, alcohol, and naloxone. Retail scanner data is collected when products are scanned at checkout, providing timely insights into consumer behavior that inform regulators and other stakeholders about the impact of policy changes.
The organization emphasizes the importance of using high-quality surveillance of both retail and household purchase data to evaluate the effectiveness of food-safety policies. According to RTI International, “If regulators and public-health advocates are to understand how changes in ingredients or labeling affect communities, they need granular, real-time evidence that shows not just what is on store shelves, but who is buying it—and at what cost. Robust surveillance allows decision-makers to spot disparities and design responses that protect vulnerable populations, including children.”
RTI analyzed sales data for juice drinks (with less than 100% fruit juice) and breakfast cereals from July 2023 through July 2025. By cross-referencing product barcodes with ingredient lists, they identified which items contained any of nine commonly used artificial dyes and examined which households purchased these products most frequently.
Their findings show that products with artificial dyes account for a significant portion of sales: 31.2% of juice drink sales and 20.2% of cereal sales during this period included artificial dyes. These figures remained stable over two years.
Households with children were more likely to buy juice drinks (40.4%) or cereals (43.7%) containing artificial food dyes compared to those without children (29.4% for juice drinks; 26.4% for cereals). Households with children and lower incomes had even higher rates—45.9% for juice drinks and 47.7% for cereals—while households without children and higher incomes had the lowest rates (25.9% for juice drinks; 23.6% for cereals). RTI notes this suggests potential inequities in how reduced dye exposure may benefit different segments of the population.
Price differences also play a role: “Products with artificial dyes are less expensive,” according to RTI’s analysis, which found dye-containing juice drinks were on average nearly half as costly per fluid ounce as their dye-free counterparts; similarly, dyed cereals were around eight percent cheaper per ounce than those without dyes.
The study’s results highlight considerations for risk communication, regulatory impact assessment, and policy design focused on equity: “If dye-containing items are concentrated in lower-cost product lines and in households with children, then reform or substitution strategies that raise prices could unintentionally burden families already stretched financially.” On the other hand, “voluntary manufacturer reformulation might reduce disparities—if reformulated products retain affordability and consumer appeal.”
There are limitations noted by RTI International: while retail sales data can reveal near-real-time market behaviors, they do not measure actual consumption or health outcomes directly; further, ingredient databases may lag behind real-world product changes.
Major manufacturers such as General Mills and Conagra Brands have started removing artificial food dyes from their products before regulations require it—a trend supported by ongoing monitoring needs among regulators.
RTI concludes that its infrastructure enables tracking changes tied to both regulatory actions and industry-led reforms in real time: “Our study provides baseline data for monitoring changes associated with regulatory and voluntary changes around food dyes – demonstrating RTI’s readiness to provide rapid insights to decision makers.”
