Sales of food products using natural colors increased between 2024 and 2025, according to a new report from the National Confectioners Association and RTI International, indicating more consumers support a shift away from artificial dyes.
The new data, which also shows a slight decline in sales for products using artificial colors, comes as food manufacturers are under significant pressure to remove synthetic dyes from their supply chains. The FDA has asked the industry to phase out artificial colors by the end of the year, while some states have moved to ban them outright.
Candy and beverage companies have been among the most hesitant to make the switch, especially since bright colors are integral to how consumers perceive the brand. Mars and other food companies who committed to removing artificial dyes a decade ago ended up abandoning those pledges a few years later after finding consumers were unwilling to buy products with duller natural colors.
However, new data from the National Confectioners Association shows the tide may be turning when it comes to consumer acceptance.
Products using nonsynthetic colors generally performed better than those with certified dyes, according to the report. For example, sales of products with "natural colors" listed as an ingredient grew 24.4% across food and beverage categories in 2025, while items with the "artificial colors" label saw just a 0.1% increase.
Candy and beverages, two categories that are among the most reliant on artificial dyes, saw similar trends play out. Candies with listed "natural colors" saw sales increase close to 20% compared to a 0.2% bump for items with "artificial colors." In beverages, products labeled "natural colors" saw a 12% sales bump, while sales of "artificial colors" offerings also increased just 0.2%.
A 'slow but steady' increase
Despite growing acceptance among consumers for natural colors, synthetic dyes still make up a substantial portion of sales for industries like confectionery. Products containing one of the six certified colors approved by the FDA represented about $57.8 billion in sales, or 7.1% of total food and beverage sales, RTI said.
Supply issues and higher prices will make it difficult for the industry to quickly transition away from certified colors, the RTI report found. Certified colors represent double the current market volume of non-certified dyes, and the natural dye market has only marginally increased volumes over the past five years.
Non-artificial colors grow slowly
Switching to non-certified colors can also become an expensive and time-consuming process, requiring new equipment and product formulations to ensure that the new dyes work as expected in products. RTI said reformulation often requires $50,000–$500,000 per SKU to validate stability, run sensory testing and complete regulatory reviews.
Still, there has been payoff for companies that have made the switch. PepsiCo's Simply NKD Doritos and Cheetos, which the food giant introduced as colorless alternatives to the traditional snack brands, generated $3 million in sales in their first month of availability in stores, RTI said citing Circana data.
Meanwhile, Atkinson Candy Company, a small confectionery company based in Texas, saw a 60% increase in dollar sales for its Chick-O-Stick crunchy peanut candies in the five years following its transition away from artificial colors.
As more companies move to replace dyes, the National Confectioners Association said food companies need "regulatory certainty before they can make the long-term investments required."
“This research makes clear that replacing synthetic food dyes is far more than a reformulation challenge – it’s a supply chain transformation,” John Downs, president & CEO of the National Confectioners Association, said in a statement. “The ingredients, agricultural capacity, manufacturing systems, and infrastructure needed to support this transition cannot be built overnight.”
