RESEARCH · THE FOOD DYE TRACKER

The food dye tracker.

The FDA's Red 3 ban takes effect January 15, 2027. Six more petroleum-based dyes are on a voluntary HHS phase-out plan targeting end of 2026. Fast-food chains are reformulating — some fast, some slow, some not at all. This page tracks the status of eight artificial colorings across the 60 chains on Frypedia, updated as announcements come in.

The regulatory clock.

January 2025: FDA revoked Red 3 under the Delaney Clause (cancer-in-animals ban).
April 2025: HHS announced voluntary industry plan to remove Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 by end of 2026.
August 2026: FDA rejected the last legal objection to the Red 3 ban. Deadline is now firm.
January 1, 2027: California's own Red 3 ban (and three other additives) takes effect — two weeks before the federal deadline.
January 15, 2027: Federal Red 3 ban in food takes effect.
January 2028: Federal Red 3 ban in ingested drugs takes effect.

The eight dyes we track.

Red 3
Erythrosine. FDA ban 1/15/2027.

Red 40
Allura Red. HHS target: end 2026.

Yellow 5
Tartrazine. HHS target: end 2026.

Yellow 6
Sunset Yellow. HHS target: end 2026.

Blue 1
Brilliant Blue. HHS target: end 2026.

Blue 2
Indigotine. HHS target: end 2026.

Green 3
Fast Green. HHS target: end 2026.

Titanium dioxide
EU-banned (2022). US pending.

Where fries themselves stand.

Good news first: the fries themselves at nearly every chain on Frypedia contain no artificial colorings. A fry is potato, oil, and salt in most cases. Where seasoning or coating adds complexity (Arby's curly, KFC Secret Recipe, Taco Bell Nacho, Wingstop Seasoned), the colorings are typically natural (paprika, turmeric, annatto) rather than synthetic. The dye question for fast food is almost entirely a question about the other items on the menu: shakes, sauces, condiments, buns, drink mixers, dessert items.

This tracker therefore reports chain-wide artificial dye status with a specific focus on the items you'd order alongside fries: shakes and milkshakes, dipping sauces, drink add-ons, and buns. Where a chain has publicly committed to removing dyes, we note the specific product and date.

Chain-by-chain status.

Chain	Fries	Menu-wide artificial dyes	Public commitment?
In-N-Out	Clean	Red 40 and Yellow 5 removed; strawberry shakes and pink lemonade now use beta-carotene + vegetable juice. Yellow 5 earlier replaced with turmeric in pickles, chilies, and spread.	Yes — May 2025
McDonald's	Clean	Removed artificial colors and preservatives from classic burger buns (US). Shakes, syrups, and some beverages still contain Red 40 and Blue 1 in the US; UK and EU formulations differ.	Partial — buns only
Chick-fil-A	Clean	Historically cleaner than most QSRs; sauces are mostly dye-free. Red 40 in some beverages and condiments. No menu-wide ban announced.	No formal pledge
Five Guys	Clean	Menu has limited dye exposure (burgers, fries, shakes). Red 40 in some shake flavors. Chain-wide status under review.	No formal pledge
Wendy's	Clean	Frosty products use caramel color (not artificial dye). Beverages include Red 40 and Blue 1 in some varieties. Chili and sauces are mostly clean.	No formal pledge
Burger King	Clean	Red 40 in shakes, drinks, and some sauces. BK had publicly announced artificial-color reductions in 2017; implementation has been inconsistent.	Partial
Taco Bell	Clean (natural flavorings)	Baja Blast and other Mountain Dew-branded beverages contain Yellow 5. Several sauce formulations include Red 40.	No formal pledge
KFC	Clean	Beverages contain Red 40 and Yellow 5. Secret Recipe Fries seasoning is natural.	No formal pledge
Wingstop	Clean (natural seasoning)	Dipping sauces may contain Red 40 depending on flavor. Beverages vary by location.	No formal pledge
Arby's	Clean (paprika-based coating)	Milkshakes and drinks contain Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1 depending on flavor. Jamocha shake uses caramel color (natural).	No formal pledge
Sonic	Clean	Known for heavy drink customization — many flavored slushes and limeades use Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5, and others. One of the most dye-exposed chains on the drink menu.	No — high drink exposure
Culver's	Clean	Custard mix-ins include some artificial dyes depending on flavor. Beverages contain standard petroleum dyes.	No formal pledge
Dairy Queen	Clean	Blizzard mix-ins and sauce flavorings contain Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1 in various combinations.	No formal pledge
Steak 'n Shake	Clean (tallow)	MAHA-aligned brand positioning but milkshake lineup still relies on standard flavoring systems; status under review as reformulations roll out.	Partial — general cleanliness pledge
Elevation Burger	Clean	Organic-positioned chain with historically limited artificial-color exposure. Under new Tabco International ownership (May 2026).	Historically clean

About this tracker This page tracks the subset of 60 chains for which we currently have verified ingredient data on artificial dyes across the full menu. We update it as chains make announcements and as we complete manual verification of allergen PDFs. If you spot an error, a missing commitment, or a reformulation we haven't caught, email corrections@frypedia.com. Chain-wide dye status changes faster than fry formulations and the tracker needs active maintenance.

What to watch between now and January 15, 2027.

Red 3 removal timing. Most national QSRs don't use Red 3 prominently; its primary applications were in candies and brightly colored baked goods. The deadline will matter most for Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, and chains with heavy ice-cream / shake programs. Expect quiet reformulations in Q4 2026.

Voluntary six-dye phase-out progress. The HHS target of end-of-2026 for Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 is voluntary, with no federal rule proposed. Industry trade groups (Consumer Brands Association) have signaled a December 2027 industry-wide target. Compliance will be partial. Watch for which chains cite the phase-out explicitly in press releases vs. which simply reformulate quietly.

State-level accelerations. California's January 1, 2027 Red 3 ban hits two weeks before the federal deadline. Other states (New York, Washington) have proposed accelerated timelines on specific additives. Chains with heavy California operations (In-N-Out, El Pollo Loco, Jack in the Box) may announce reformulations that read as voluntary but are actually state-driven.

Titanium dioxide. Banned in the EU since August 2022; still legal in the US. Found in some chewing gum, candy coating, and shake-cream applications. US FDA has not formally initiated review but it's on multiple state advocacy agendas. Watch for state-level action before federal.