This week, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey signed a bill that will prohibit seven food dyes in school lunches and in food items for sale across the state. The food dye ban in West Virginia schools will start August 1, 2025, and the ban will extend to retail food starting January 1, 2028.

The following additives will be included in this ban:

• Red Dye No. 3
• Red Dye No. 40
• Yellow Dye No. 5
• Yellow Dye No. 6
• Blue Dye No. 1
• Blue Dye No. 2
• Green Dye No. 3

Some of these dyes are commonly found in breakfast cereals, soft drinks, dairy products, candy, jellies and even condiments and canned foods. It’s safe to assume that these dyes are on the ingredient lists for thousands of products on the market. 

West Virginia isn’t the only state to sign similar legislation. Last year, California banned six of the seven listed food dyes above from schools—and the one dye left out of their list, Red Dye No. 3, was officially banned by the FDA earlier this year.

But why are these dyes being banned right now, and should we look for them on our labels? Is it time to avoid food dyes altogether? We asked our nutrition editor and registered dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD to explain.

“It’s important to remember that most research done on food dyes is done on animals like mice or worms instead of on humans. And oftentimes, the animals are given a concentration of food dyes that wouldn’t be realistic for a human to consume (think three or more times greater than the acceptable daily intake set by the FDA),” shares Ball. “There is a growing body of research on the potential negative health effects of consuming ultra-processed foods in excess, but this is often related to things like added sugar, sodium and saturated fats rather than food dyes. The science does not suggest that food dyes are significant contributors to chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease or diabetes.”

If you would like to avoid these dyes for personal reasons, that’s understandable and you’re free to do so. There are plenty of products and retailers like Trader Joe’s that promise high quality dye-free foods. But because of the limited science and the lack of proof that these dyes can cause health concerns, this isn’t a swap that you need to make.

“There are a lot of well-researched ways to support overall health, like maintaining a balanced eating pattern, regular physical activity, healthy lifestyle, social support, food access and creating a health-supportive environment,” explains Ball. “These things are important to focus on when talking about improving public health, and they are supported by science. Claims about the health effects of food dyes are not evidence-backed in that same way.”