West Virginia bans food dyes, New York could be next

New York and 19 other states vie to ban some food additives due to health risks. A local coffee shop is already shifting away from them. 

Salt City employee, Julian Guy, holding one of the shop’s naturally colored drinks. Andrew Watson. 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Audrey Fahland, a Minnesota native, describes her mother as a “granola mom”. 

She had a front row seat as her mother changed her diet over many years. 

“She went from eating Hamburger Helper from the food shelf to she’s pescatarian, vegetarian,” Fahland said. “Then now she’s been vegan for like five or six years,” 

Fahland saw her mother remove almost all processed foods from her diet. She believes that this had the biggest impact on her view of these foods. 

“Anything like that, you should be very, very cautious of,” Fahland said. 

Fahland works at Salt City Coffee in Syracuse. The local shop uses processed dyes — a topic that has recently caught national attention.

In March, West Virginia became the latest state to ban seven artificial dyes, including Blue No. 1, Red No. 40, and Green No. 3, citing potential health risks. At least 20 other states, including New York, are considering similar bans. 

Salt City is one of the many local businesses that could be impacted by this ban. The shop has already begun a move toward more natural dyes for its coloring. However, artificial dyes still have to be used to meet the demand of customers who are used to the taste of artificial flavors. 

“I think that some people want that artificial taste, especially for well-known flavors like strawberry, cherry,” Salt City employee, Julian Guy, said. “Those things are just hard to capture naturally.” 

Salt City attempts to color some of its drinks naturally, using house-made dyes to create more eye-catching drinks. 

Guy noted that Salt City is currently offering a blue jasmine tea made with pea flowers, which give the drink its bright blue color. 

Two specialty drinks from Salt City Coffee that are colored with natural dye. Andrew Watson. 

Many popular foods that people consume have food dyes in them, like most candies, drinks, and breakfast cereals. 

Studies on food dyes have shown that they have a higher impact on children. In 2021, the Children’s Environmental Health Center led a study on the potential effects of artificial food dyes. 

The researchers found that these synthetic dyes can cause inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and restlessness in sensitive children.

Guy said he is a big candy lover, but is happy to get behind studies that scientifically prove the negative effects of food dyes. 

“I think that it’s totally possible to see a world without them,” Guy said. “But if that’s not the case, I wouldn’t necessarily feel up in arms about not having them around.”

New York state is considering three food dye bans, including one that would require businesses to label certain foods and beverages containing harmful ingredients, including Red 3, titanium dioxide, BVP, potassium bromate, and propyl paraben.  

That ban won’t likely impact big coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts as much as local coffee shops. Fahland says major chains still use processed dyes and syrups to make their drinks, which makes it difficult for local coffee shops to keep up. 

“I feel like we’re backed into this corner where we have to have those more crazy processed things,” Fahland said. “Because there will always be those people that want to come in and they want their cereal milk latte.” 

The state is also considering a ban that would prohibit the purchase and sale of school foods containing synthetic dyes, like Red 3, Yellow 6, and Blue 1. 

West Virginia isn’t the first state to ban dyes, but it is one of the first states to have a ban of its scale. California passed a measure in 2023 that banned four additives: Red Dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben. In 2024, the state lawmakers banned food dyes from school meals. 

However, the bans do not start immediately. West Virginia's sweeping ban won’t start until 2028, and California’s four-additives ban begins Jan. 1, 2027. 

If New York State successfully implements its bans, its residents and businesses will have some time to adjust. 

It won't be easy, though, Fahland said. People are accustomed to accessing the processed foods they love, and added that if they can’t get them, it could cause “public distress”.

“Hopefully, if this gets enacted, it’s mostly just growing pains as we move more towards natural stuff,” Fahland said.